ForgetMeNot
by Exxal
Summary: What starts out as an unexplainable attraction soon grows into something much more. Amaimon can't explain it, but he wants to be with her. Always. AmaimonxShiemi
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

She caught his eye that day in the forest.

He had only kidnapped her to lure younger brother into a fight, but now he couldn't get her out of his mind. She was so...fragile. Not in a way that made him think of prey, but in a way that made him want to hold her close so she wouldn't break.

Amaimon frowned when he thought back on that feeling. He had always wanted to break things; to test their strength and prove his was greater. But wanting to stop something from being broken, that was new.

There was something about her that made him consider taking her as his own. He had even gone through the pretense of a human wedding ceremony, though the kiss had been a little much. A kiss like that could have taken her face off. Usually, that thought would have excited him, but it actually made his insides all cold and squirmy. She had such a...nice face. A nose, some eyes, lips, and skin. Very symmetrical and soft. And human.

Sitting on top of the clock tower of True Cross Academy, Amaimon leaned back and looked at the light-polluted sky, barely able to see the stars past the glare. Her eyes were green like leaves, which, being the Earth King, he couldn't help but appreciate. He had kind of wanted to tear them out and keep them, but...he had also kind of wanted to just keep looking at them. Forever.

Foolish thoughts, he knew. He was no mortal; demons had no place pondering the niceness of a human's face, or looking at their green eyes. That girl must have bewitched him, somehow. Perhaps it was the smell of lemongrass in her hair, and the way it reminded him of Amahara, the garden where he reined. The flowers there were so beautiful that it was rumored to be a garden of God, rather than that of a demon, but that was just human nonsense.

Either way, he wasn't going to let this continue. If he couldn't stop thinking about her, then he would just have to kill her. Simple as that.

Amaimon leapt from the tower and let himself fall all the way to the ground. The concrete cracked beneath his pointed shoes, and he straightened and walked over to the nearest tree. He could have asked a rock, of maybe a flower, but trees were the most reliable, even one as young as this was quite wise.

"I need to find someone," he said to it. "A young female human. She's a student in the exorcist school. She has yellow hair."

The tree shifted, its leaves shivering with uncertainty. Amaimon frowned at its hesitance. He was the Earth King; the plants and animals, and even the very soil, were his subjects. One of them had never resisted his power before.

[A human place with flowers,] the tree said at last. Amaimon put his hand on its trunk so he would know where it was and see it. It was a little shop, it looked like, but he couldn't see the flowers. As if sensing his malicious intent, the tree shifted again. [She has been kind to us, your majesty,] it said. [Kind to us.]

Amaimon was tempted to ask what the tree meant, but chances were it wouldn't tell him. Trees did love to be mysterious. Instead, he nodded his thanks and then raced off, bounding over any buildings that got in his way. It took him less than an hour to reach the shop, and he walked casually up the steps and through the front door. He blinked around at the unimaginably dangerous exorcist supplies lining the shelves, and realized he should have expected it.

He found nothing on the ground floor of the shop, but once he climbed the stairs, he came across an older human sleeping in a bed. He walked over and tilted his head as he looked down at her. Should he kill this one? Perhaps not; she seemed like she would be too boring, even if he woke her up first.

So Amaimon wandered away. Eventually, he determined that there was no one else in the house. Had the tree lied? Lying was a human habit, but demons had learned it over the years. Maybe the trees were catching on, too...?

But then Amaimon heard an odd noise from outside. He opened the back door and saw the girl. And the flowers.

For a moment, he was stunned, looking around at them, but then he focused on her. She was kneeling in a flower bed, watering the night-blooming flowers carefully, humming as she worked. Amaimon regarded her with interest. Had she really gotten up in the dead of night to dote on his subjects? That was so–

Amaimon didn't allow himself to finish that thought. He approached her, his footsteps silent on the dew-covered grass. She was facing away from him, so she wouldn't see him until it was too late, which may have been for the best. Yet another strange thought, coming from a demon who delighted in viewing the many desperate faces of his prey.

He reached out with his clawed hand, determined to snatch her life away...

But he couldn't do it.

Amaimon stayed frozen with his hand mere inches from her neck, listening to her hum and chat amicably with the flowers, smelling the lemongrass of her hair even over the sweet perfume of the garden, and he had no choice but to admit that, this time, he had met something more dangerous than himself. This human girl was making him powerless without any effort at all. It was incredible.

And terrifying.

Amaimon withdrew his hand and stood there, not sure if he should run or stay, when suddenly she began to turn towards him to water the next flower bed.

He ran for his life.


	2. Chapter 2

So many reviews/favorites/subscriptions...I'm in shock! And, since I had a great deal of messages about another chapter, I decided to jot one down just to assure the readers (and myself) that this wasn't going to stay a one-shot.

Oh, and for anyone who was hoping to see some of Shiemi's POV, you will be sadly disappointed, because I didn't write any; I hate her too much.

Enjoy~!

Chapter Two

After he just barely escaped, Amaimon swore to himself that he would never go back to that garden again, but the very next night he found himself crouching in a dense patch of lilac bushes, eyes fixed on the girl in a mixture of fascination and confusion.

Lilac bushes, though chatty, provided excellent cover, and that quickly became his regular spot as he returned night after night. He soon learned that the girl came out at midnight, worked in the garden for three hours, then went back inside. By the end of those three hours, she was always yawning and rubbing her eyes. One night, much to Amaimon's surprise, she stretched out on the ground after she finished watering the plants and fell asleep.

Was it a trick? Amaimon stayed where he was for a few minutes, unsure what to do, then he slowly crept forward. By crawling on his hands and the balls of his feet, ready to bolt at any moment, he made his way to the girl's side.

She looked so...innocent. Amaimon relaxed enough to sit back on his haunches, and then he tilted his head to study her with blank, unblinking eyes.

This would be the perfect chance to kill her, he knew. Amaimon reached out, but instead of tearing out the girl's throat, he found himself ever-so-gently brushing the backs of his clawed fingers against her cheek. Her skin was soft. It was almost like dandelion fuzz, but less...fuzzy.

Amaimon removed his hand and went back to staring. Humans were not normally awake at night, and all the ones he had met needed some amount of sleep, so he reasoned that this girl did, too. Unbidden, a plan formed in his mind. He resisted it; a demon, especially one as strong as him, had no place helping a human. Besides, he wouldn't be able to watch her care for the flowers, which was something he had come to really enjoy.

But for some reason, he decided to go through with it. Amaimon instructed the plants to keep the girl safe, then he straightened with a wild grin and bounded away. It was strange to be so excited by something other than bloodshed and violence. He wasn't sure if he liked it.

xxx

Amaimon peeked eagerly through the leaves of the lilac bushes as he waited for the girl to wake up. His excitement had dulled over time, and now there was a new, fluttery feeling in its place. He had never felt something like it before, but he thought it might be nervousness.

The feeling increased as the door slid open. He watched the girl, still a little drowsy, walk unsteadily down the steps into the garden, but there she paused, brow furrowing. She made her way over to the nearest bed of flowers and knelt to touch the soil. It was moist. The next bed was the same, and the next, and the next.

That was Amaimon's plan. He had gotten there early and meticulously watered the flowers, using the metal bucket thing with the long neck he had seen the girl use. When he had described it to his older brother, he learned it was called a "watering can," and that all humans used them since they couldn't just call rain clouds to do the job for them, as Amaimon did whenever he wanted to water the plants in Amahara.

Suddenly, Amaimon wondered if this had been a bad idea. The girl didn't seem pleased, just confused. He hadn't had much experience in trying to make humans happy; in fact, this was the first time he had ever tried. Had he done something wrong?

But his doubts vanished when the girl smiled. Amaimon leaned closer in spite of himself. Her smile was so sweet and genuine, and, slowly, he found the corners of his lips curling in response. The result was a terrifying grin; his fangs made it hard to pull off any of the more innocent human expressions, so even his best attempt at a smile would still be...well..._demonic._

Not like it mattered while he was hiding in these lilac bushes.

As Amaimon had predicted, the girl shuffled back inside to sleep, and so he left. He thought he would feel bitter and cheated, but instead, he felt invigorated. His leaps took him high above the treetops, and he let out a maniacal cackle as he flew through the air.

xxx

Over the next week, Amaimon continued to water the flowers, but then one night, he landed in the garden to find the girl sitting on the steps, waiting. He froze in fear for just a moment before he bolted into the lilac bushes.

But Amaimon knew he had been caught. He didn't think she had gotten a good look at him, or else she would have run screaming. The thought made him cringe as he watched the girl get to her feet and take a few tentative steps towards him. "Um, excuse me?" she called, wringing her hands nervously. "Please, don't hide. Are you the one who's been watering my flowers?"

Amaimon didn't dare reply. For some reason, his heart was pounding much faster than usual, and he was panting for breath. Was this more of her power? He started to creep away, making the lilac rustle.

"Don't go," she pleaded. Amaimon hesitated, and she went on: "I promise I'm not mean or scary, so you don't have to be afraid. I'd like to meet you."

The girl was probably expecting a garden spirit or something. Amaimon could only imagine how horrified she'd be to find that it was him; probably too horrified to give him a chance to explain. Not that he deserved one. After he'd kidnapped her, tried to kill her friends, and had a demon-moth lay an egg in her brain, he'd certainly established his place as her enemy.

But that was then. Amaimon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then he stepped out into the open.


	3. Chapter 3

A little short, but cut me some slack, eh? I've been sick. ;_;

Even though I can't write as much as I'd like, I've been thinking like crazy, and this story has gotten super-intense in my head. For something that was only supposed to be a short, cutsey little thing, it's going to be epic. I have made notes. This will happen.

Someday.

Chapter Three

The girl screamed.

Amaimon flinched and grabbed his chest, which suddenly ached with a sharp pain. What was she doing? It hurt...was she going to kill him?

"S-stay back!" the girl cried, then she turned and ran into the house, slamming the door behind her.

The pain went away a little, enough that Amaimon could breath in shallow gasps. He straightened up and let go of his shirt, which was stained with blood from where his claws had dug into his skin. That was the first time she had caused him actual pain, and he wasn't sure what to think of the experience.

But if she hadn't had his respect before, she certainly had it now.

Amaimon glanced up as the door opened a crack, and he saw one of her wide, scared green eyes before she squeaked in fear and she whisked the door shut again. He felt another twinge of pain in his chest, which he took to be a warning, so he fled.

Lacking the will to jump, Amaimon loped through the woods, feeling an unusual weakness seeping through his body. How could he convince her he didn't mean her harm? That question surprised him. He had been lying to himself this entire time, telling himself he would kill her, but now he realized the truth. He wouldn't kill her. He couldn't. And not just because she had this power over him, but because he didn't want to.

Other demons may have spent hours searching for an answer, but Amaimon just shrugged and accepted it. He still loved to wet his claws in blood and slaughter things, and he still found sweet bliss in causing wanton destruction, so if this was a weakness, it wasn't a dire one.

So Amaimon went back to his original train of thought, but he knew he was in over his head. He hadn't the faintest idea what humans liked.

But maybe older brother would know.

Amaimon headed for True Cross Academy.

xxx

"You want to know what makes humans happy?" Mephisto repeated dully. "Why?"

Amaimon shrugged and offered no explanation. If older brother knew what he was doing, he would send him back to Gehenna. For once, Amaimon didn't want that.

At the silence, Mephisto sighed. "It really depends on the human," he said, waving a hand. "I'm not sure if a thing exists that could make every human feel happiness."

"Oh." Amaimon's shoulders slumped a little. It was hardly noticeable, but Mephisto was observant, and he knew that his little brother had been relying on him. He sighed again and wracked his brain for something, _anything,_ that might help.

"I've noticed that most humans seem happy when they are given things. Nice things," he suggested. "They're called 'gifts'."

"Nice...things?" Amaimon echoed thoughtfully. A moment later, he straightened and walked over to the open window, then leapt into the night without a word.

Mephisto watched him go, unsure if he should be confused or concerned, but then he decided to simply put the whole incident from his mind. Amaimon may have asked out of mere curiosity, or he may be planning to twist the knowledge he'd gained to bring about an unimaginably vast amount of destruction. Either way, it wasn't his problem.

Yet.

xxx

Humans are so strange, Amaimon thought as he bounded towards the girl's house. Giving away nice things and not just keeping them for themselves. It makes no sense.

But, since it was his only chance to get the girl to trust him, it was worth a shot. Amaimon glanced down at the bag dangling from his hand, then he hugged it to his chest, taking care that his claws didn't poke through and threaten its contents. This would work. It _had_ to.

Amaimon touched down about a hundred yards away from the garden, then proceeded on foot at a more cautious pace. He vividly remembered how his chest had hurt last time, and he wasn't eager to repeat the experience. No, tonight, he was going to try his hardest not to be seen. He'd just put the gift somewhere she'd find it, and then he'd leave. Maybe when he came back, she'd be less angry.

At the edge of the garden, Amaimon paused and looked around, then, when he saw that the girl wasn't there, he grinned in relief and started forward. After only a few steps, there was a brilliant flash of light.

Amaimon let out a shriek of pain as he was flung backwards, and the bag flew from his arms as he hit a thick tree and tumbled to the ground. With a groan, he shakily pushed himself up, and then crawled over to the bag. He opened it and glanced inside, then sighed happily when he saw everything was fine.

But what the heck had thrown him like that? Amaimon cradled the bag as he lurched to his feet. After taking a moment to let the wave of dizziness pass, he stumbled over to the garden again. Immediately, he saw the still-glowing barrier painted in the dirt.

A...a barrier? Amaimon blinked at it in shock. Had he really scared her so much?

Then he scoffed. Of _course_ he had; he was a demon! Amaimon shook his head at his own foolishness and then sank down to the ground, sitting cross-legged with the bag in his lap as he thought about what to do now. At length, he realized that just because he couldn't get into the garden, it didn't mean he couldn't leave her the gift anyway.

Amaimon picked a spot on his side of the barrier that was easily visible from the house, swept it clear of twigs, and then he unpacked the paper bag, carefully stacking the packages of instant ramen into a neat pyramid.


	4. Chapter 4

I live! Sorry, folks. I've been ultra busy with school and work and other such paltry things, so I haven't had time to update. Also, I've been watching Doctor Who.

But here it is! The update that I've had half-written for weeks!

Chapter Four

The ramen was still there the next night. Amaimon stared down at it in confusion. He didn't understand; this ramen was brother's favorite, so why wouldn't she have taken it?

Maybe it had offended her, somehow. Amaimon frowned at the thought and gathered up the ramen, rushing it away. He didn't know what to do with it, since he ate only sweet foods, but then he figured that he could give it to brother. But giving a gift to another demon would be too weird, so maybe brother would trade him some candy for it?

Wait...

Amaimon broke into a wild grin at this new idea. She hadn't liked his first gift, but he wasn't going to give up. He knew what to get her for the second gift, and this time, it would make her happy.

xxx

As predicted, brother had been willing to trade for the ramen, and Amaimon went back to the girl's house and spent hours reverently arranging the candy outside the barrier. When he finally finished, he couldn't help but look back just one time. He was sad that he was leaving the candy behind, but hopeful that she would like the gift.

But when he returned a day later, the candy was still there.

Amaimon couldn't believe it. The smile that had been on his face since last night faded, and he hung his head. She didn't like candy, either? Was that even possible?

Possible or not, that's the way it was. Amaimon sighed and tenderly packed the candy into his pockets, but he didn't leave yet. He glanced up towards the house, and was shocked to see the girl peeking at him from the window. She flinched a little when he caught her eye, but didn't look away.

Was that good or bad? Amaimon hesitated, then he turned and darted into the forest. When he was a safe distance away, he leaned against a tree to catch his breath. He shouldn't have fled. He should have waved, or smiled. Actually, no. Smiling would have been bad, with his fangs. But waving wouldn't have scared her, right?

She hadn't looked all that scared, though. She had actually looked...angry. He'd never seen her look that way before, and he wasn't sure he wanted to again. At least, not if that anger was directed at him.

Amaimon chewed on one of his fingernails as he thought. He'd been going about this the wrong way. He hadn't been giving her the right kinds of gifts.

But now that he knew his mistake, he could fix it. Amaimon raced off, pulling the Infinity Key lent to him by brother from his pocket. Now, all he needed was to find a door...

xxx

When Amaimon finally made it back to Assiah, it was the middle of the day, and he was covered in dirt and grass stains. But he'd gotten the girl's gift, and he couldn't wait until night to give it to her. He started in his usual, bounding manner towards the shop.

As was becoming habit, Amaimon stopped a safe distance from the barrier and then walked the rest of the way. He held the gift, the delicate blue flower with a purple stem and purple leaves, in both hands, barely able to stop himself from breaking the stolen-fishbowl-turned-flower-pot in his nervousness. A petal from the Darkness Blossom could heal and revive recently dead creatures to life, and he had chosen the kindest and most friendly one in Amahara for the girl's gift. This particular species of flower only grew in his garden, but he knew she would recognize it from books and stories. He hoped she liked it; what would he do if she didn't? Probably try to think of another gift. Eventually, he'd get it right...wouldn't he?

His thoughts stopped abruptly when he reached the barrier and found the girl standing on the other side, glaring at him. Amaimon, without thinking, put the flower behind his back to shield it from harm.

"Why do you keep coming here?" the girl demanded shrilly, her hands clenched into trembling fists in the fabric of her kimono.

Amaimon had no idea how to answer that. Should he tell the truth? Should he lie? Which would cause him the least amount of pain? Anything he said would probably get him hurt regardless, so he decided not to say anything and reluctantly brought the flower out from behind his back.

The girl glanced down at the flower, too quickly to see what it was, and looked surprised for a moment before she became angry again. "Stop bringing me things!" It was supposed to be an order, but Amaimon thought it sounded more like a plea. The girl didn't seem to be very good at being angry, or to have any experience acting on her anger. "Just go away!"

That hurt so badly that Amaimon couldn't help but flinch, and he figured it was best to do what she said. He put down the flower and fled, missing the confusion on the girl's face as she watched him go.

xxx

Now that he wasn't allowed to give the girl any gifts, Amaimon couldn't think of anything to do other than to just go back to watching her as he always had. He couldn't reach the lilac bushes, thanks to the barrier, so he found a new spot in the shadowy branches of a Fir tree. From his perch, he had a clear view of the garden, and, as long as he was completely silent, the girl would never know.

Or, so he thought.

"I know you're there," the girl called into the forest, startling Amaimon so much that he almost fell from his tree branch. "Come out...please."

Amaimon hesitated for a moment, then he obeyed, dropping to the ground and cautiously stepping to the edge of the barrier. Like before, the girl was waiting on the other side.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, then the girl knelt down and scrubbed at the lines of the barrier, breaking it. Amaimon watched her with wide eyes.

"There!" the girl said, straightening up and dusting off her hands. She looked at him expectantly, but he didn't know what she wanted him to do, so he did nothing. "You can get in now," she pointed out. Amaimon nodded, but still stayed where he was.

This was almost worse than when the girl was angry at him. Amaimon didn't know what to say; what to do. He felt so uncomfortable; he wanted to dig a hole in the ground, climb into it, and then bury himself, just so he could be away from this situation.

"I don't understand." The girl finally broke the silence. "If you aren't here to kidnap me, or hurt me, then why _are_ you here?"

Amaimon's heart was racing in his chest, so he reached into his pocket for a lollipop, which he unwrapped and popped into his mouth, hoping the sugar might calm him down. "You are...important," he said around the stick, his words slightly garbled.

"Important?" She looked genuinely shocked. "For what?"

"For me."

Had he said something wrong? The girl's cheeks turned bright red and her eyes widened. Amaimon leaned to look closer, his nose almost touching hers, and she squeaked in surprise then whirled around, hiding her face from him.

Amaimon felt crushed. Without meaning to, he'd scared her again. "Ah, my apologies."

The girl jumped a little when he spoke, then slowly turned and peeked at him. "N-no!" she said, her voice still a little squeaky. "It's okay! It's fine!"

It didn't seem fine. Amaimon scratched the back of his head. This wasn't going very well...maybe it would be best to leave. He turned and started to walk away, but the girl called after him.

"Wait!"

Amaimon stopped and looked at her hopefully.

"Are you going to come back tomorrow night?"

There was no use lying to her. "Yes."

To Amaimon's surprise, the girl's face became very serious and determined. "Then instead of 'goodbye', I'll say 'see you later'!"

He wasn't sure how to react. What she said was almost friendly, but her expression was so intense that it was confusing him. He had no way of knowing that she was always this way when she wanted to be sure she said something right. Still, though he was confused, there was only one way to reply.

"See you later," Amaimon said.

Then he leapt away into the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Very short, but after all those wonderful reviews, I felt obligated to post SOMETHING.

Flattery will get you everywhere, my lovely readers.

Chapter Five

Amaimon spent all day worrying that the girl would have fixed the barrier to keep him out again, but when he went to visit her, he found that it was still broken. He carefully stepped over it and found the girl watering the flowers as usual. She quickly noticed him and, after an awkward pause, smiled. He froze and didn't chance returning the gesture, keeping his face carefully blank so he wouldn't scare her.

That was a mistake, because the girl's smile faded and she looked uncertain. Amaimon hastily made the corners of his lips twitch upwards, but also pressed them together so he didn't show his fangs. Though he knew he must look ridiculous, the girl's smile returned and her uncertainty vanished.

"So," she said, "here we are."

Amaimon nodded and crouched down so he was on her level. "Yes."

The girl set down the watering can and shifted to face him. He'd learned his lesson about getting too close to her from last night, and so he was a good ten feet away. For a while, they just looked at each other in silence, sizing each other up.

"Your name," Amaimon blurted without warning when he noticed the gap in his knowledge, making the girl jump.

"W-what?"

Was he exceptionally frightening, or was she just easily scared? "I don't know your name," he repeated more gently.

"It's Shiemi," the girl told him. "Shiemi Moriyama."

Amaimon repeated the name in his head. Shiemi. Shiemi Shiemi Shiemi. It was a good name; it suited her. Shiemi.

The girl cleared her throat, making him blink back to reality. "You're..." she seemed to dismiss a few options before settling on the least threatening one, "Rin's older brother, right?"

"Yes." Half-brother. "You can call me Amaimon."

He had left off the part about him being the Earth King in hopes that she somehow wouldn't remember that he was an incredibly powerful demon from Gehenna, but from the look on her face, it didn't work. She swallowed her apprehension and cautiously scooted a little closer.

"You're different than I remember," she said. "I mean, I don't remember much, since I was controlled by that moth larva, but you seem much nicer, now."

Amaimon looked away. He felt a twist of something unfamiliar. Guilt? Sheesh, could his body handle anymore weird emotions? "I...regret how I treated you. And your friends." But not younger brother. That was asking too much.

"Do you want to start over?"

He blinked at her. What a strange question; why ask about something that could never happen? Still, he knew the answer. "Yes," he replied.

Shiemi got up and brushed off her kimono, then she walked over to him. Amaimon watched her warily. Was she going to kick him? He stayed crouched where he was, not willing to show weakness, but to his surprise, all she did was offer him her hand. He looked at it, then up at her face to see that she was smiling.

"Then we'll just say we're meeting now for the first time, okay?"

Amaimon was struck dumb. He couldn't move, had to remind himself to breathe, as he slowly processed what she said, then he found himself staring at Shiemi in unabashed wonder. He reached up and took her hand, mindful of his claws, and let her pull him out of his crouch, so that they were both standing. His thoughts were racing inside his head at breakneck speeds as he tried to understand this overwhelming kindness, the likes of which he had never known in all his centuries of life.

It was a gift, he realized. A second chance.

He wouldn't let it go to waste.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

And so they started over.

Not completely, of course. Amaimon knew that his past actions, though forgiven, could not be forgotten, nor should they be. But Shiemi didn't let it get in the way of their new friendship. He came to her garden every night, no longer having to hide, and felt...happy. Happy to be so close to her. Happy to hear her awkwardly chattering to fill the silence. She told him about her friends, and her mother, and, after a few weeks, her grandmother. He listened, nodding occasionally, but he had no idea what to say in return.

Until Shiemi started asking him about his life. Simple questions with easy answers that he could easily refuse, but often didn't. He only skipped over the ones that he suspected would scare her, like, "What's your father like?" and "What do you do for fun?" and "What's your favorite food?"

Maybe he skipped over more questions than he thought.

But it was still more than he had said about himself in his life. Shiemi seemed to understand that and didn't hold his frequent refusals to answer against him. Since she didn't pry or judge, Amaimon slowly began to answer more and more of the "scary" questions. Every time he did, he'd look at her quickly, wondering if she'd hate him, but she'd just smile. It wasn't always a happy smile; sometimes it was a little forced; but it was still a smile.

One night, however, Amaimon asked a question of his own.

"Do you...miss your grandmother?"

Shiemi looked over at him, surprised. It was the first time he'd initiated a conversation. Soon, her surprised faded into sadness and she looked away.

"Yes," she replied softly.

Amaimon, who had learned to read her much better by now, knew he had made her upset. He hunched down in shame, poking miserably at a purply-blue forget-me-not with one of his long claws. He should have kept his mouth shut; stayed silent, as father and older brother had trained him.

"It hurt for a long time that she was gone," Shiemi went on. "I'd go out to the garden everyday by myself and remember how she and I used to be here together, talking about flowers and how we would find Amahara someday. It was very lonely."

Find Amahara? Amaimon tilted his head. He didn't quite understand where she was going with this and why she wasn't mad at him.

"Then you became my friend." Amaimon perked up. Shiemi was smiling at him again! "And being here with you, talking with you, has helped me move on." Shiemi reached out and touched his cheek. "Thank you."

Amaimon was frozen, looking into her smiling green eyes. Her noticed her face getting a bit closer to his, and, though he didn't know what she was doing, he found himself leaning forward to meet her.

"What's all this?"

Shiemi flinched away at the sound of her mother's voice. Amaimon looked up and blinked at the sight of the woman in the doorway. Shiemi's mother crossed her arms.

"Shiemi, what are you doing up so late?"

Amaimon wondered if Shiemi would lie.

"I was watering the flowers, mom," Shiemi explained truthfully, holding up the watering can. "You know granny always said that watering at night was best for them."

"Oh, I know." Shiemi's mother looked at her wearily for a moment, but then she glanced over at Amaimon. "Who is this boy?"

"He's a friend. I met him while I was at school." Not a lie, either. "He's been coming over to keep me company."

Shiemi's mother pursed her lips. "Does this 'friend' have a name?"

Shiemi looked distressed and blushed even more fiercely. "His name is Amaimon, mom."

Shiemi's mother looked over at him. For a long time, she and Amaimon just stared at each other, then Shiemi's mother laughed. "No need to look so worried!" she said, mistaking his blankness for nerves. "I know my Shiemi well enough to know she's a good girl, and I know she's smart enough not to hang around with bad folk. You're from the exorcist school, huh? I was so worried she wouldn't make any friends there; she's never had much luck with it, before. And look at you! You're such a nice, well-dressed boy! And good-looking, too!"

"Mom!" Shiemi squeaked in horror.

"Oh hush, dear," Shiemi's mom said to her before turning her attention back to Amaimon. "It's much too late right now, but I have to insist that you come back sometime for tea before you two return to school. School starts next week, doesn't it? In that case, let's make it tomorrow! Tea and lunch in the shop, what do you think?"

Amaimon blinked and tilted his head.

"Wonderful! It was nice to meet you, but I must be back to bed, now; don't stay out too late with those silly plants."

"Okay, mom," Shiemi said weakly. "Goodnight."

And then her mother went back inside and closed the door, leaving the two of them in silence.


	7. Chapter 7

Well, damn. People come over here and say nice things and I suddenly decide to stay up half the night writing an update. Behold, the power of things!

P.S. After reading it over, I revised Chapter Six a bit so that Amaimon can stay more in character. It doesn't change the story line at all; it just isn't as OOC.

Chapter Seven

Amaimon didn't know what to think. Shiemi's mother had just come out to the garden, but the only thing that stuck in his mind about the meeting was when she said Shiemi was going back to school next week. It had never occurred to him that Shiemi would ever go away.

Next to him, Shiemi was wringing her hands in embarrassment, oblivious to his growing panic. "I-I'm sorry about that," she said. "She means well..." She trailed off and glanced over; Amaimon just kept staring straight ahead. She stopped wringing her hands and looked closer at him, confused. "Are you okay?"

Amaimon didn't answer. Shiemi moved closer and tugged gently on his sleeve. At last, he blinked and turned his head.

"Do you have to go?"

The question made Shiemi pause, then she understood, and she looked sad and guilty. "Yes. Well, actually, no, I don't _have_ to, but I like it at school. I learn all kinds of things, and I get to see my friends..."

Amaimon felt a pinch in his heart. Shiemi realized what she said and hurriedly backtracked.

"Not that you aren't my friend," she assured him. "I mean my other friends. I miss them a lot."

"I'll miss you," Amaimon said simply. Shiemi bit her lip and her eyes brightened with tears.

"I...I'll miss you, too."

"If you go, everything will change."

Shiemi shook her head fiercely. "It won't! We can still see each other at night, and–"

"Everything will change," Amaimon tonelessly insisted. "Exorcists don't like demons."

Shiemi fell silent. Amaimon could tell she was crying, but he wasn't sure why. Had he done something wrong again? Maybe he had made her sad...

"I'm sorry," Amaimon said. Shiemi wiped away the tears.

"It isn't your fault," she replied. "You were just being honest."

Honesty could cause tears? Amaimon had no idea it was so dangerous to tell the truth. Would a lie cheer her up? "I am happy you will be seeing your friends," he lied.

Shiemi looked up at him with overflowing eyes, then, to Amaimon's shock, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in the front of his vest.

What should he do? What should he _do?_ This was Amaimon's first hug, and he stood there like a statue, frantically trying to decide what would be the proper way to reciprocate. He thought maybe he should hug back, but his arms were pinned at his sides. He could run away, but then she might start crying again. At last, Amaimon just bent his neck forward so that his chin was resting lightly on the top of her head.

"I don't want to have to choose," Shiemi whispered into the vest. "I wish you could come with me."

Amaimon suddenly had an idea. A brilliant, perfect, _insane_ idea. He straightened up and his lips drew away from his fangs in a demonic grin. Shiemi, sensing something was going on, let go of him. When she saw the look on his face, she was startled.

"Amaimon, what...?"

"I will go with you!"

Shiemi gaped. "B-but you can't!" she stammered. "You said it yourself: Exorcists hate demons. They'll try to destroy you!"

Caught up in his wild joy, Amaimon was too distracted to hear her. He raced from the garden, Shiemi's cries echoing behind him, and leapt through the trees. When he found a door, he took the Infinity Key from his pocket and put it in the lock. As he turned the key, he thought of the darkest pits of Gehenna.

Amaimon opened the door and bolted through it. A wave of hot air hit him the moment he crossed the threshold, and then came the putrid, sickly-sweet smell of rotting things. The door behind him slammed shut, locked itself, and seemed vanished, though Amaimon could sense that it was still there.

The murky red of Gehenna stretched endlessly in every direction. Amaimon didn't bother to look around as he ran instantly towards where he knew he had to go. After about an hour of running, he came upon a huge, bleached skeleton. He climbed into the eye socket without hesitation.

Inside the skull it was very dark, but Amaimon didn't need light. He dropped into a crouch and crawled around, sniffing at the sand until he found the place he was looking for, then he began to dig. Eventually, he uncovered something smooth and flat. He pried it from the ground and carried it out of the skull.

Now that there was some light, Amaimon looked down at the book, which was still sandy from being in the ground. It was said to contain seals that could bind higher-level demons; that's why big brother had stolen it from the exorcists. Amaimon remembered how big brother had called him to Assiah and told him to take the book to Gehenna and destroy it, and how he had then fed the book to the first demon beast he'd come across and considered the deed done.

But, clearly, the book was not destroyed. Amaimon opened it and searched through the pages, which were stained and rather faded, until, at last, he found what he wanted. Amaimon tore out the page and re-buried the book, then he made his way back towards the invisible, locked door to Assiah.


	8. Chapter 8

This chapter was impossible. I hope it turned out all right.

Chapter Eight

To Amaimon, it felt like he had only been gone a few hours, but by the time he got back to Assiah, it was day. He was too excited to notice, and he bounded towards Shiemi's house, clutching the page of the book tightly and still grinning.

But as he got closer, his grin faded and he began to have doubts. What if Shiemi didn't like this idea? What if she had been lying about wanting to stay with him? What if she really did think of him as a demon rather than a friend?

Amaimon stopped bounding and looked down at the paper in his hand. He probably should have talked to Shiemi about his idea before running off to Gehenna, but he'd just been so happy. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, after all...

"Amaimon?"

He perked up at Shiemi's voice calling him. The garden wasn't far, and he stuffed the paper into his pocket and made his way there. When he stepped out of the forest, Shiemi seemed surprised.

"Oh! You're here! You ran off so suddenly last night that I get a chance to remind you."

"Remind me...?" Amaimon repeated, turning his head.

"About lunch," Shiemi explained. "Mother sent me to go see if you were here yet; she says the food's almost ready."

Amaimon didn't know what to say. He knew nothing about this "lunch," but from what Shiemi said, it seemed that his timing was very convenient. And she had mentioned food. After all that running, he was very hungry.

So he followed Shiemi into the exorcist shop, trailing a little ways behind. He couldn't help but eye the shelves full of jars and boxes warily; most of the things sold here were not demon-friendly. This "lunch" could easily be a trap.

But in the next room, there was a table with food. Amaimon sat where Shiemi told him to, at the place next to her's. Shiemi's mother brought over steaming plates with more food before also sitting down. Out of the corner of his eye, Amaimon noticed that Shiemi was glancing nervously at him. Was he supposed to be doing something?

"This looks wonderful, mom," Shiemi said, her voice a little shrill.

Ah, of course. Human manners. Amaimon had no idea what any of the food was or if it was even edible, but he knew he was expected to pay Shiemi's mother a compliment regardless.

"Wonderful," he echoed dutifully, nodding.

Shiemi relaxed and her mother beamed at him. They started putting food onto their plates, but Amaimon didn't because he didn't know what anything was. His plate stayed empty until Shiemi noticed and started suggesting things for him. Amaimon took a bit of each of those dishes, and soon his plate was full. He leaned close to it and inspected the food curiously, blinking. With two clawed fingers, he reached down and pincered a piece of something with his claw's sharp tips, then he lifted it from the plate. He tilted his head back, dropped the piece of food between his fangs, and chewed.

It was good! Amaimon finished the piece with delight and picked up another. By the third piece, he realized that Shiemi's mother was gaping at him. When he looked up at her, she busied herself with her own plate very quickly.

That couldn't be good. Amaimon looked to Shiemi for help, and Shiemi, without looking back at him, paused in eating and pointedly clicked the tips of her chopsticks together. Amaimon found the chopsticks beside his plate and picked them up. He didn't understand why he couldn't just use his claws, but he put the chopsticks in one hand anyway and, just like older brother had taught him, used them to move the food from his plate to his mouth. Instead of tilting his head back, he mimicked Shiemi by bringing the food up to his lips. It was more difficult to eat like this, but Shiemi's mother seemed much less frightened, and that seemed to make Shiemi happy.

Soon, the "lunch" was over. Amaimon was still hungry, but he would have been even if he had eaten all the food himself, so he didn't bother to have more than the one plate. Besides, no matter what a human "lunch" was usually like, he got the feeling that this particular "lunch" wasn't actually about eating.

"That was great, mom," Shiemi said, putting down her chopsticks. "Thanks."

"Great," Amaimon repeated, copying her.

Shiemi's mother smiled. "Glad you both liked it," she said. "Let me just clear up the plates and then I'll make some tea."

Shiemi stood. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, dear," her mother said with a sigh of relief. "My old bones just aren't as cooperative as they used to be."

Shiemi began to stack the plates. Amaimon automatically got up to help her, and Shiemi's mother glanced at him approvingly.

"Such a helpful friend you have, Shiemi."

Shiemi blushed crimson. They carried the plates into the kitchen, where Amaimon watched as Shiemi mixed boiling water and leaves into a teapot. After they'd gone back to the table and the tea had been poured, Shiemi's mother started asking him questions.

"So do you like it at True Cross Academy, Amaimon?"

"Yes." He'd liked it whenever he'd gone there to visit older brother.

"It seems like a lovely school. What are you studying?"

Amaimon paused. Shiemi, seeing his hesitation, quickly answered for him.

"Amaimon's really good at demonology," she said. "And he knows a lot about different kinds of plants."

"Ah! So you'll probably be a Doctor, then. Or maybe a Tamer, since you know so much about demons. You've got to have something special to tame demons, though! If you don't, I've heard that you can't summon them."

"Yes," Amaimon said.

"My Shiemi's got a real knack for summoning, you know," Shiemi's mother bragged. "Did it on her first try!"

"Mom!" Shiemi protested, blushing again.

"Sorry, dear, I just can't help but be proud." Shiemi's mother turned her attention back to Amaimon. "You haven't tried your tea."

Amaimon obediently picked up the teacup and took a sip. Seeming satisfied, Shiemi's mother went back to asking the questions.

"Do you have many other friends at school, Amaimon?"

"No." He didn't have any other friends _at all._

"Really?" Shiemi's mother seemed genuinely shocked.

"Amaimon just came to the school a little while ago, mom," Shiemi told her. Before her mother could ask any more questions, Shiemi put down her cup of tea and said: "Thanks again for lunch, but I should really go water the flowers."

"Of course, dear."

Shiemi got up. Amaimon did the same.

"Thanks," he told Shiemi's mother, once again echoing Shiemi. Shiemi's mother smiled warmly at him.

"Shiemi's friends are always welcome. Come back anytime, Amaimon."

Amaimon gave her a quick nod and rushed after Shiemi. When they got to the garden, Shiemi stopped and sighed in relief.

"Thanks," she said to him.

"For what?"

"Just...for everything. You were perfect."

Amaimon turned his head. Shiemi smiled at him, and he remembered the page in his pocket. He realized that there was something he wanted to do before he told her about his idea. If this did turn out to be the last time they saw each other, he wanted to make sure he got a chance to show her.

"Shiemi," he said, saying her name for the first time, "would you go somewhere with me?"

She seemed confused. "What?"

"It isn't far."

"I...I guess I'll go," Shiemi replied uncertainly. "But only if it won't be for long. I really do have to water the flowers."

Amaimon smiled as nicely as he could and held out his hand. Shiemi took it, and he led her right back to the door of her house. Shiemi opened her mouth to speak, but then she stopped and just watched as he reached into his pocket, the one not holding the page, and brought out a small, silver key. Amaimon could feel her green eyes on him as he put the key into the lock, and he thought as hard as he could of flowers. All sorts of flowers, in all the colors imaginable. He removed the key and reached for the doorknob, turning it.

When the door opened, it opened into the Garden of Amahara.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Amaimon instantly turned to see Shiemi's reaction. He had expected her to be smiling and happy, but instead, there were tears pouring down her face.

He felt a rush of shame. He had wanted this to be perfect, but he had made her cry. Inside his chest, his heart felt like it was sinking.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Shiemi said nothing; she didn't even seem to hear him. Amaimon glanced back at her, and he realized that, in spite of the tears, the look on her face was not one of sadness, but of awe.

"Is this...?" The question trailed into silence, as though she dared not say the name for fear it would wake her from the dream.

Amaimon felt his heart lifting. He nodded, knowing that she would see it out of the corner of her eye.

Shiemi did nothing for a moment, then she took a deep, shaky breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them and found the vivid beauty of every flower in the world still spread out before her, the smile that lit her face was the most beautiful thing Amaimon had ever seen. With a wild laugh, she ran into Amahara, dragging him along by the hand. Between althea bushes and red roses, she grabbed Amaimon's other hand and spun them both around in circles so that the flowers became a blur. While they were spinning like that, she was all her could see, and he was happy.

When at last Shiemi ran out of energy, she let herself collapse to the ground, pulling him down beside her. She caught her breath and then turned to him with shining eyes.

"How did you do it?" she asked him breathlessly. "How did you find Amahara?"

"It is my garden," Amaimon replied.

Shiemi goggled at him. "Yours...?" she squeaked. He nodded, and she turned to gaze at the garden with wide eyes. He knew that she was seeing the flowering trees that were showering their petals of every color into the gentle breeze, and the glossy water lilies in the lake that had just gone into bloom; the sunflowers that had turned their broad golden faces to catch the sunlight, making their already bright petals glow; the shy, shade-loving snowdrops that had hidden beneath the waving tresses of a nearby willow tree that had grown to the size of a small mountain; the star jasmine that were closed into tight little buds, waiting for the moonlight to shine down and make them bloom; the fields of wildflowers that were buzzing with hummingbirds and fuzzy bees.

But Amaimon, even knowing all these wondrous things were around him, never once looked away from her.

xxx

They spent the rest of the day in Amahara. Amaimon showed Shiemi as much as he could. They saw water-meal, a plant whose blossoms were so small they could not be seen with the naked eye, and titan arum, which bore gigantic flowers over ten feet tall that stank so strongly of rotting meat that Shiemi had to cover her nose with the sleeve of her kimono to get close to them. They walked through a swirling snow of cherry blossoms, through an endless field of bluebells, across a lake on a bridge of huge lily pads, under a forest canopy laden with the dangling vines of wisteria.

Amaimon also showed Shiemi the flowers that did not grow in Assiah. He showed her the patch of Darkness Blossoms, which were the sisters of the one he had given her, then they visited the creeping, bright-purple vines Tripwart that looked harmless but came alive with a vengeance if stepped on. There was a bush of Plum Rose, which had no blossoms and smelled like buttery popcorn; Spark Flowers that would set fire to anything that touched their orange petals; green, blue-spotted toadstools called Yudviline that were the size of a houses.

There were so many more flowers Amaimon wanted Shiemi to see, but she had said she couldn't be gone long. Before he took her home, though, he needed to tell her about the paper. So, as the sun in Amahara began to set, Amaimon brought Shiemi to his favorite spot, and there, sitting on a mossy rock in the middle of a thick carpet blue fescue, in the shadow of a Royal Poinciana, he took the crumpled page from his pocket and gave it to her. Shiemi smooth the page, revealing the symbol painted on it in thick black ink.

"What is it?"

"A magic circle, used to tame demons," Amaimon explained. "One like this has not been seen in Assiah for centuries."

Shiemi gently ran her fingers over the symbol. "To tame demons..."

"Shiemi," Amaimon said. She looked up at him, and he could see in her eyes that she knew what he was going to say. "This is my circle. If you use it, you can make me your familiar."

For a long time she was silent. When she spoke again, it was in a whisper.

"Is that what you want?"

"I want to be with you," Amaimon answered honestly.

Shiemi searched his face for doubt that wasn't there. She looked back at the circle, tracing it again with her fingertips. "I want that, too, but..." she paused, then turned to him with desperate eyes. "Amaimon, I don't want you to have to do this!"

He blinked. "I don't understand. Do you...not want me with you?"

"Of course I do!" she cried at once.

"Then this is a good plan," Amaimon declared. "I'll be your familiar, and I can go to school. Nothing will change."

Shiemi stared at him for a moment. "You really want to be my familiar?"

"Yes."

His immediate response decided her. She lifted her thumb to her teeth and, bracing herself, bit into her skin just enough to draw a single drop of blood. Lowering her hand to the page, she let the drop fall onto the circle.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for the reviews, everyone. They were lovely.

Chapter Ten

The moment the blood touched it, the circle began to glow with a sinister red light, then the paper caught on fire and started to burn. Amaimon grunted in pain and doubled over.

"Amaimon!"

Shiemi's panicked cry seemed far away. Amaimon tried to look up to make sure she was all right, but he couldn't move. He felt as if red-hot chains were being tightened throughout his body, choking him, restraining him until he thought he would be crushed under the pressure.

The pain went on for a few more seconds, then it vanished. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping.

"S...Shiemi...?"

"I'm here." Her voice was soft and close. "Try not to move."

It was difficult for Amaimon to obey; his first instinct was to get up, to hide his weakness. With effort, he made himself stay down awhile longer, then, after a few more seconds, he shakily pushed himself to his feet. Shiemi grabbed his arm and helped him, and she didn't let go even when he stopped swaying.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." Mostly. "Did it hurt you?"

"No," Shiemi said to his relief. "My skin felt a little tingly, but that's all."

Amaimon looked down and noticed her hands were empty. "Where's the circle?"

"It caught on fire. Was it supposed to do that?"

He shrugged. "Probably."

Neither of them spoke for a while, then Shiemi broke the silence.

"So, do you think...did it work?" she asked. "I don't really feel any different."

Amaimon hadn't considered that the circle may have failed. He chewed on his nail, thinking. "Tell me to do something," he said at last. "Then we'll know."

"Like what?"

"Anything."

Shiemi thought for a moment, then she drew herself up to full height and squared her shoulders. "Amaimon! I...I want you to...to..." she fumbled, her mind blank. Then she got it. "I want you to pull out a strand of my hair!"

Amaimon found himself moving before he even had time to process what she'd said, but he stopped himself. When he'd said she could order him to do anything, he didn't mean she could order him to hurt her! He didn't want to pull out one of her hairs!

Even though Amaimon had gotten a grip on himself, every second he held back made his body ache with deep pain. It felt like he'd imagined the human toothache, the one that older brother was always warning him that he'd get from eating candy, would feel. Except it wasn't just in his tooth.

At last, Amaimon blacked out. When he blinked back to reality, it was just as he was pulling out one of Shiemi's golden hairs.

"Ow!" Shiemi yelped, grabbing her head.

Amaimon offered her the hair he'd taken. "Why did you order me to do that?" he asked. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"I know." Shiemi looked up at him with watery eyes, took the hair, and smiled. "It had to be something you didn't want to do, or else it wouldn't have been a good test."

Amaimon blinked, then nodded in approval. "It worked."

Shiemi jumped up and down with joy, but then she stopped and suddenly seemed troubled. "Being my familiar...does it mean you have to do what I tell you? All the time?"

"Yes."

She bit her lip and looked away. "I...I don't want you to have to do what I say. I don't want you to be my...my _slave._" She perked up. "I know!"

Shiemi looked him in the eye and said in her most serious voice: "Amaimon, from now on, I order you to obey only the orders you choose to obey!" Her seriousness faded and she beamed at him. "There! Now, you don't have to do anything you don't want to!"

In response, Amaimon stared at her in shock. Just when he thought he had human beings figured out, she proved him wrong yet again. She had had the opportunity to exploit his powers, his near-immortality, his _everything, _and she had given it up. Just like that. Truthfully, he had expected her to betray him the moment their bond was sealed, and he had still done it because being with her as a familiar was better than nothing. But now, for her to give him back the freedom he had willingly given away? To find out that she still wanted him to be her friend? It was...

Amaimon looked away. He was feeling that old pain in his chest. It was the same pain he'd felt back when they'd first met, but now it was bittersweet and overwhelming. It pressed against his throat and heart, swelling inside him. The joyful expression on Shiemi's face turned into one of distress.

"Oh!" she cried. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong? Please, don't cry!"

Amaimon didn't understand. He reached up and, to his surprise, felt tears on his cheeks. He drew his hand away, looking at the wetness on his fingertips with wide-eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried. Father and older brother had never allowed it; he had to always be strong. Amaimon wanted to stop the tears, but since he had no idea how they'd started, he had no choice but to let them fall.

"It's okay," he said, turning away and wiping his eyes. "I'm just...happy, I think."

Shiemi stopped panicking. "Are...are you sure?"

Honestly, Amaimon had no idea, but he knew he didn't feel unhappy, or bad in any way, so he figured that what he was right. He nodded, and Shiemi brightened, her own eyes filling with tears.

"I'm happy, too," she said. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers. "I'm glad we can be together."

Amaimon, still facing away, smiled, fresh tears sliding down his face.

"Me too."


	11. Chapter 11

My sincerest apologies for the unreasonably long time between updates! Writing a story in this sort of genre is slow-going for me, but that's no excuse! I'll try to do better in the future!

P.S. It is very short, but I'm already working on the next bit, so I can almost certainly promise that there might be another update soon!

Chapter Eleven

Amaimon's tears stopped by the time they got back to Shiemi's house. They had been gone a long time, much longer than Shiemi had hoped, but the flowers were no worse for it. Amaimon helped her water them as she babbled excitedly about Amahara.

"It was so wonderful! I mean, I knew it would be, but I never expected...I never dreamed...oh, I wish granny could have seen it!"

Amaimon was pleased that she was so taken with his garden. No one else had ever appreciated it before; not father, not older brother. She was the first one who seemed to care as much as he did.

"We can go there again," he told her. "Anytime you'd like."

Shiemi turned to him, eyes shining. "Really?" she gasped. "I can go back?"

Amaimon nodded, then, overwhelmed by the gratitude shining in her eyes, he had to looked away. He focused on watering a patch of bleeding hearts and told himself that he was _not_ blushing. But when Shiemi came over and hugged him, making him drop the watering can, he couldn't deny it.

"Thank you!" she cried. "Thank you so much!"

Cheeks flaming, Amaimon tentatively returned the hug. It was nice, he decided. Hugging her was nice. He felt warm, and liked, and he didn't want it to ever end.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Amaimon blinked in surprise as Shiemi suddenly jerked away from him. He looked over, and saw younger brother and sort-of brother standing at the garden's gate.

"R-Rin!" Shiemi stammered. "Yuki!"

Sort-of brother and younger brother flung open the gate. Before Amaimon knew what was happening, sort-of brother had pulled Shiemi to her feet and taken her away from him. Amaimon's temper flared, and he started forward in a flash, but younger brother quickly blocked his way.

"Stop right there!" Rin growled. At some point, he had drawn his sword, and it was inches away from Amaimon's chest. Amaimon usually would have welcomed a fight with younger brother, but not when Shiemi was involved. He wasn't going to play around in a situation like this; he was deadly serious. Amaimon bared his fangs and prepared to attack.

"Wait!"

Shiemi's voice made Amaimon pause. She wrenched herself away from sort-of brother and grabbed younger brother's arm.

"Rin, stop it! He's my friend!"

Younger brother gaped at her in shock. "_F-friend?_" he repeated. "Shiemi, are you feeling okay? Did that guy put another moth in your brain?"

Shiemi shook her head. "I know it seems a bit strange, but he's not like that anymore!" She was so earnest that younger brother's sword fell just a little. "He won't hurt us, I promise!"

All this time, sort-of brother had been quietly assessing the situation, and now he cautiously moved closer. "Rin," he said in a low voice, never taking his eyes off Amaimon, "I think it's better if we don't provoke a fight. If he and Shiemi are, somehow, friends, it'll be much easier to sort this out through talking."

Younger brother stood there quietly for a moment, then he sighed. "Fine," he said, sheathing his sword and extinguishing the blue flames.

Once again, Amaimon was awestruck by Shiemi's power.


	12. Chapter 12

I am so, so sorry it took this long. Thank all of you for being so patient, and for the kind reviews and messages. 3

Chapter Twelve

It didn't take very long for Shiemi to explain the situation to younger brother and sort-of brother, but it was a long time before they were willing to accept it. After a while, Amaimon grew bored and wandered a short distance away, crouching down to poke at a four-leafed clover as he listened absently to the humans' conversation.

"So, Amaimon's your familiar?" sort-of brother said, sounding skeptical. It was the third time he'd asked, but he couldn't seem to grasp the concept.

"I know it seems unbelievable," Shiemi admitted, "but he is."

Younger brother let out a sound of frustration. "Come on! This is _Amaimon_ we're talking about, here! Isn't it obvious that this is some kind of trick?"

"I admit, it does sound questionable."

Shiemi was quick to protest. "It wasn't a trick! He really wanted to come to school with me, so he brought me his seal. It was a real Tamer symbol; I've seen ones like it in our class books! It was really old, and really complicated, but it was real!"

Sort-of brother wasn't convinced. "Even so, there's no way to tell that the symbol did what Amaimon claimed."

"We tested it," Shiemi said. "I told him to do something, and he had to do it."

"Then tell him to go back to Gehenna and stay there!"

"Rin, be quiet," sort-of brother said. Then, to Shiemi, "Amaimon could have been faking it."

"I know he wasn't." By her tone, Amaimon could easily picture her expression: flushed, eyebrows drawn, lower-lip trembling. "I can't prove it, so you'll just have to trust me."

"We do trust you, Shiemi," younger brother said. "It's that guy over there that we don't trust."

"Well, I do!"

Shiemi's outburst shocked even Amaimon. He straightened out of his crouch and walked over. When he reached out to her, Rin and Yukio tensed, but he only put his hand gently on top of her head. She took a few deep breaths, then smiled up at him.

"I'm okay," she said. "Thanks."

Amaimon nodded and removed his hand. He could feel sort-of brother and younger brother staring at him, but he ignored them. Finally, sort-of brother sighed.

"This isn't going to be easy," he told her. "Even if Amaimon is your familiar, it's going to be hard to get the exorcists to let a powerful demon like him stay at True Cross."

Shiemi nodded. "I know, but you and Rin will help us, right?"

Amaimon was interested to see what their response would be. Sort-of brother glanced over at him, then nodded at her solemnly.

"If Amaimon really has changed, I'll do what I can."

"Thanks, Yuki!" Shiemi turned to younger brother. "Rin?"

Younger brother looked away and clenched his fists, then he looked back at her and forced a grin. "You can count on me, Shiemi!" he said. "I won't let you down!"

Amaimon was thoroughly surprised. Shiemi beamed and gave them a low bow.

"Thank you so much!"

Suddenly, Amaimon felt a dig in his side, and he looked down to find that Shiemi had elbowed him in the ribs. She gave him a pointed look. It was clear that she wanted him to thank them, too.

Amaimon didn't want to make Shiemi unhappy by refusing, but he wasn't sure if he could thank younger brother. He swallowed his pride and nodded his head at them. It wasn't much, but it was all he was prepared to do.

"Isn't it a little late at night for there to be so many handsome boys in the garden?"

Shiemi gave a little squeak of surprise and whirled around to face her mother. "Mom! What are you doing awake?"

"Just got up for a cup of tea, dear," Shiemi's mother replied. "I thought I heard voices, so I came around to investigate. Is there an explanation for all this?"

"It's our fault, Mrs. Moriyama," sort-of brother said. "I received reports of a powerful demon being sighted in this area, so my brother and I came by to make sure that you and Shiemi were all right. We didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Shiemi's mother looked amused. "Well, wasn't that sweet of you? However, as you can see, we're perfectly fine."

Younger brother grumbled under his breath, just quietly enough that Shiemi's mother wouldn't hear him: "Not for long if Broccoli-head stays here."

"Hush, Rin," Shiemi scolded, just as quietly. "Amaimon's not doing any harm."

"Yes, ma'am," sort-of brother spoke up loudly, ignoring younger brother and Shiemi. "However, since the demon is still at large, we'd like your permission to keep watch. Just in case."

"Will that really be necessary?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, then come on inside and have some tea. I'm sure it'll be much easier to keep an eye on Amaimon if you're sitting at the table with him."

Amaimon blinked. Shiemi, sort-of brother, and younger brother all gaped in shock.

"Y-you knew Amaimon was a demon?" Shiemi stammered at last.

"Of course I did!" Shiemi's mom lifted an eyebrow. "What kinda exorcist shop would I be running if I couldn't even recognize The Earth King? Honestly, girl!"

"Then why didn't you notify True Cross?" sort-of brother asked her, his eyebrows locked together in confusion. "You could have been in serious danger!"

Shiemi's mother narrowed her eyes. "I thought you of all people would understand that demon or not is no reflection of character. My Shiemi's a smart one; she wouldn't be hanging around with any bad apples." Shiemi's mother warded off any further protests with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Now no more of this nonsense; hurry on inside. I'll start making the tea."

Amaimon stared after Shiemi's mother with interest. She wasn't Shiemi, by any means, but, for a human, she was still impressive. He decided that he had made a good decision when he'd chosen not to kill her.

As if sensing his thoughts, younger brother turned on him suddenly. "I'll be watching you, so don't even think about trying anything!"

Sort-of brother sighed. "Come on, Rin," he said, and he reached out and grabbed younger brother's arm, dragging him into the house. Younger brother glared back at Amaimon the whole time.

Amaimon couldn't care less. He looked over at Shiemi, and found that she was blushing bright red with embarrassment and looking at the ground. Amaimon reached over and gently touched her flushed cheek, which was unusually warm under his fingertips.

"Have I upset you?" he asked.

Shiemi shook her head. "No, of course not," she said. "I just can't believe my mother knew!"

Amaimon cocked his head and said nothing. He waited until Shiemi had calmed down, and then they went inside.


	13. Chapter 13

I'm finally back! I'd like to express my deepest apologies to all of you for the lack of updates, and thank you for not letting me forget this story by threatening me regularly through your reviews! XD But now let me explain why I haven't been updating: I've been busy publishing my first book! It's called Welcome to the Afterlife, and it's a young-adult/fiction/horror book. It's available on amazon and on the barnesandnoble website, and there's even a kindle version you can get! And so, while I've desperately wanted to give you guys a new update, I just couldn't find the time because I was stuck editing and formatting and doing all the other tedious things I had to do to finally get my book into print. From here on out, I should be able to update this story more; I have the whole thing planned in my head, and as long as school doesn't get in the way, I'll do my best to finish it without pausing for any more distractions. Also, I feel that I should mention that this particular chapter has not yet been edited, but I wanted to get it to you guys as soon as I could. Be gentle.

TL;DR: I finally published my book, so now I'll be updating more. :D

Chapter Thirteen

Younger brother continued to glare all through tea.

Amaimon felt it was best to ignore him for now, and he instead looked at sort-of brother. Shiemi had called him "Yuki." Amaimon had never given him much thought before; sort-of brother was only an exorcist, which meant that he was no real threat to a powerful demon like himself. But sort-of brother was still a child of Satan. Even if he didn't possess the power of younger brother's demonic inheritance, it would be unwise to dismiss him completely.

No one spoke at all, and so the room was silent except for the quiet sounds of sipping. When they finished their tea, Amaimon looked away from sort-of brother to find that younger brother was still glaring at him. Amaimon's blood boiled and he itched for a fight–younger brother was always so fun to play with–but he didn't think that Shiemi would like it, so he repressed the urge with difficulty and began chewing on one of his long, sharp fingernails. Shiemi glanced over at him, then she looked at Rin and saw what was making him so agitated.

"Stop that," she scolded. Rin cursed under his breath, but he stopped glaring at Amaimon and instead looked at his tea cup. Amaimon, now that he wasn't being provoked, calmed down and quit chewing on his nail.

A few moments later, Shiemi's mother set down her empty cup with a sigh and got to her feet.

"I'm going to turn in for the night and let you youngsters continue your talk from earlier," she said, "but there will be no fighting in my house or in the garden, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Yukio said. Shiemi and Amaimon nodded in agreement, but Rin just scowled. Shiemi's mother fixed him with a stern look, and he grudgingly gave in and nodded as well.

Shiemi's mother seemed satisfied. She looked over at her daughter. "Try not to be up too late, all right, Shiemi?"

"Yes, mother."

And then Shiemi's mother left. They all heard footsteps on the stairs, and then a door closed, and then the four of them were alone, sitting around the table with their empty cups. Yukio broke the silence first.

"I'm going to go outside and make a few phone calls," he said, pushing back his chair. "I don't think they're going to believe it, but if Amaimon has changed sides and you really are planning to bring him to True Cross as your familiar, it's better if the higher-ups know as soon as possible."

"O-oh! Of course!" Shiemi stammered. "Thank you, Yuki!"

Yukio gave her a strained smile, then he frowned at Rin. "Behave yourself," he ordered.

Rin looked offended. "What's the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I don't want you causing trouble."

"Don't treat me like a little kid!"

"I might when you stop acting like one," Yukio retorted. He ignored Rin's grumbling and left the shop, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

The front door closed, leaving Rin, Shiemi, and Amaimon in tense silence. After several minutes, Shiemi finally spoke.

"Rin?"

"Yeah?"

"I really want you to be friends with Amaimon, too."

Amaimon felt a twist of revulsion in his guts, and from the look on younger brother's face, he felt the same. Rin looked away, clenching his fists on the table.

"It's not that easy," he said.

Shiemi looked distressed. "Can't you at least try?" she pleaded. She turned to Amaimon, and he found his disgust at the idea slowly ebbing away as he looked into her big green eyes. "Please?"

Rin said nothing, but Amaimon had already given in. He liked to fight with younger brother and he liked being his enemy, but he'd give that up a hundred times over to make Shiemi happy. Amaimon nodded solemnly.

"Yes," he said. "I will try."

Shiemi's face cleared and she beamed at him. Under the table, she took his hand and squeezed it gratefully. She looked over at Rin. Her eyes were shining with hope, but Amaimon could tell that she was afraid he would refuse.

Rin was quiet for a long time. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Yukio came back into the shop, and Rin quickly snapped his mouth shut again.

"It took a while," Yukio told them, "but I got them to believe me. Amaimon won't be cleared for entrance to True Cross until he's been examined by a team of Tamers to make sure that he really is bound to Shiemi as a familiar, and then he'll have to meet with Mephistopheles to get authorized as a student."

Amaimon blinked. It had never crossed his mind that he'd have to meet with big brother. Sort-of brother had probably already told him about the seal, and Amaimon wondered how angry he was.

"But while he's at True Cross," Yukio continued, "Amaimon's going to have to really watch his step. As long as he follows the rules, they'll let him stay. If he doesn't...well, then they'll deal with him like any other demon."

"Yeah, whatever," Rin interrupted. "Where's he gonna live?"

Yukio cleared his throat awkwardly and adjusted his glasses. "Normally, familiars share their master's room–"

"NO WAY IN HELL."

"–but in this case," Yukio continued, ignoring Rin's outburst, "I think it would be best if Amaimon moved into our dorm."

Amaimon frowned. He didn't want to live with little brother and sort-of brother. He wanted to stay with Shiemi.

"Don't worry," Shiemi told him, sensing his unhappiness and gripping his hand extra tight. "We'll still see each other a lot, okay?"

"...okay."

She looked up at sort-of brother. "Thank you, Yuki." She bowed, trailing her blonde hair onto the table and almost hitting her head on the empty tea cup in front of her. "Thank you, Rin."

Again, Amaimon felt that subtle dig of her elbow in his ribcage. He _had_ promised Shiemi that he'd try to be friends with younger brother, so he managed to force himself into a shallow bow.

Rin blushed at Shiemi's gratitude and looked away, but Yukio simply nodded in return. "Just be careful, Shiemi," he said. "Some people won't like having Amaimon there, and that could make school difficult for you. I'll do what I can, but I want you to be ready for that."

Shiemi nodded and straightened up in her seat, trying to look very serious. "I will!"

Amaimon felt a rush of anger at the thought of Shiemi being in danger, but it quickly faded. He knew that she wouldn't come to any harm; he would protect her from anyone and anything.

Yukio smiled at her. "Good," he said. "Rin and I will be going, now. School starts tomorrow, so we should all try to be well-rested." He gave Shiemi a short bow. "Please thank your mother for the tea."

Shiemi got to her feet, and Amaimon copied her. "I will," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yuki! And you too, Rin!"

Sort-of brother and younger brother made their way towards the door, but right before they left, younger brother whirled around. "Shiemi, make sure that guy leaves, too!"

Shiemi looked flustered and Amaimon turned his head to the side, not understanding. Sort-of brother sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"Don't say such weird things," he said. He grabbed younger brother's arm and dragged him towards the door, with younger brother struggling and protesting the whole way. The protests were cut off when sort-of brother closed the door behind them.

Shiemi turned quickly towards Amaimon. He saw that she was still blushing wildly. "Sorry about Rin," she said. "He's just worried about me."

Amaimon still didn't understand, but he wasn't sure if it really mattered. "I will go," he decided. If he was going to be friends with younger brother, he knew that he would have to obey him, like he obeyed big brother.

"O-okay," Shiemi stammered, clearly surprised. "You'll be back tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"Don't be late!"

"I won't."

At the doorway, Shiemi held onto Amaimon's hand awhile longer, then she let go and he bounded off into the night.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Now that I'm getting closer to Amaimon and Shiemi being at True Cross, this story is becoming much more difficult to write. I want to tell you that I have already begun working on the next chapter, but if it's anything like this chapter, it will take me about a week to write out.

However, once I get the hang of writing all these new characters, (and, subsequently, their interactions with each other), I imagine that the chapters will take much less time to complete. *fingers crossed*

Chapter Fourteen

Amaimon had nowhere else to go, so he climbed into a tall tree just outside of Shiemi's garden, far enough away that he didn't think younger brother would be angry at him, and made himself comfortable on one of the branches. He watched the fireflies dance over the garden for a while, then he wrapped himself up in his tattered coat, rested his back against the tree's rough trunk, and closed his eyes. Before long, he fell asleep.

The flowers in the garden were quiet all night, but just before sunrise, they became more active. It was the sound of their soft voices that woke Amaimon up. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, then he hopped off the branch. He fell several meters to the ground, landed lightly on his feet, and headed towards Shiemi's house.

It was still very early; Shiemi and her mother were both asleep. Amaimon thought about watering the flowers, but he figured that Shiemi would want to do it herself: It would give her a chance to say goodbye to them before she left.

So instead he stood there in the garden and drifted off into thought, looking up at the lightening sky. He stayed like that until Shiemi came out of the house. She yawned and stretched, then walked over to him. She stared curiously at him for a moment, then also looked up at the sky.

"Pretty clouds this morning," she commented.

Amaimon blinked and looked down at her. He frowned when he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. "You look tired."

"I was too nervous to sleep," Shiemi replied with a weak smile.

Amaimon turned his head to the side. "Why?"

"Because we're going to the school today," she said, "and I'm worried that you're going to get hurt."

There wasn't much chance of that, Amaimon thought. He was one of the Eight Demon Princes of Gehenna, after all, and he doubted that even a whole school full of exorcists would be able to put a scratch on him if it came down to a fight. But he had never had someone worry about him before, and he was touched.

"I'll be okay," he said. "And I'll protect you."

Shiemi looked reassured and her smile became genuine. "Thanks, Amaimon. That makes me feel a lot better."

He gave her one of his awkward, goofy-looking smiles, keeping his lips pressed together to hide his fangs as usual. Shiemi laughed, all of her worries forgotten.

Together, they watered the garden. As Amaimon predicted, Shiemi murmured soft farewells to the plants as she watered them, carefully looking each of them over to make sure they were healthy and growing properly.

By the time they'd finished with the watering, the sun had risen and was high enough in the sky to cast some light into the garden, though it was still mostly hidden behind the trees. Amaimon got up and walked over to Shiemi, who was still kneeling. He offered her his hand, and, when she took it, he lifted her to her feet.

Shiemi stood there for a moment, looking sadly around at the garden, then she sighed.

"I wish I could stay out here longer, but I should finish packing." She looked up at him and smiled. "Why don't you come inside?"

Amaimon nodded and followed her into the house. Shiemi's mother, wrapped up in a blue robe, was smoking a long pipe at the table. She smiled when she saw Amaimon.

"Good morning, Amaimon."

"Good morning."

"You must live close by," she said, "to have gotten here so early."

Amaimon shook his head. "My home in Gehenna is very far away," he said, though he supposed that he could have used the Infinity Key to get there. No matter; he didn't mind sleeping in trees.

Shiemi's mother frowned and looked over at her daughter. "Shiemi, why didn't you tell me about this? The next time your friend comes for a visit, put him up in the storehouse for the night."

"The storehouse?" Shiemi seemed surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Now that you're in the main house, that little room in the storehouse's empty. It's comfortable enough for a guest, I'd say."

"Yes, mom," Shiemi said. She looked very happy, and Amaimon, once he'd gotten over his shock, was happy too. He wasn't used to this sort of kindness; he'd never been welcome around humans, let alone offered a room by one.

Without Shiemi's prompting, Amaimon sank into a low bow. "Thank you very much," he said.

Shiemi's mother grinned. "No need for all that," she said to him. She turned to Shiemi. "You two should hurry up and get your things packed; you'll need to be at the school in half an hour."

Shiemi nodded, and she and Amaimon went upstairs. Shiemi's room was at the opposite end of the hall from her mother's, and when she opened the door, Amaimon saw that it was a small room, but comfortable, with potted flowers crowded around the window. Amaimon stared in amazement: among them was the Darkness Blossom.

"I'll be taking those with me," Shiemi said, pointing at them. "I'm staying in the dorms this year, and I'd be really homesick if I didn't have at least a few of my flowers there, too."

Amaimon slowly lost interest in the flowers and looked back at Shiemi. She had knelt down on the floor in front of a floral-patterned duffle bag and was folding clothes and books into it. Every so often, she'd ask him to get something specific from her desk, or her closet, and Amaimon would retrieve it for her so that she could pack it into the bag.

Soon, the duffle bag was full. Shiemi zipped it up and sighed in relief.

"All done!" she announced. She got to her feet and brushed off her kimono, then, with difficulty, she picked up the duffle bag.

"I'll carry it," Amaimon said, reaching out, but Shiemi shook her head.

"It's okay!" she replied, though her arms were visible shaking. "Could you get the flowers for me?"

Amaimon nodded. He gathered up Shiemi's flowers, and, once he'd somehow managed to get all five of the flower pots safely in his arms, they both went downstairs. Shiemi's mother was still at the table, but Amaimon sensed that there was someone else in the house, too. He shifted the flowers so he could see, and was surprised to find that it was sort-of brother.

"Yuki!" Shiemi exclaimed, just as surprised as he was. "What are you doing here?"

Sort-of brother cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "I've come to escort the two of you to True Cross."

Shiemi looked confused. "But I have a key," she said. She dropped the duffle bag and reached into her pocket, taking out a small, silver key and holding it up as proof, clutching it with both hands. "See? Mr. Mephisto gave it to me. You didn't have to come all the way out here."

Amaimon glanced over at her. Big brother had given her a key, too? He felt a quick pang of jealousy, but then it was replaced with concern. What was big brother planning? Amaimon had promised to protect Shiemi, but if big brother tried to hurt her, she would be in great danger. Big brother was very strong; if the two of them were to fight, Amaimon wasn't sure that he would win.

But it wasn't likely that big brother would have any interest in Shiemi, Amaimon quickly reminded himself. She might be special to him, but to big brother, she was only another human.

And so, with that in mind, Amaimon stubbornly crushed down the fear that was growing inside him and forced himself to pay attention to what sort-of brother was saying.

"Unless I'm mistaken, that key will take you straight to the cram school, but since the barriers against high-level demons are still in place, it wouldn't be possible for Amaimon to get through. Before the two of you will be allowed to enter True Cross, Amaimon will need to be examined by a team of exorcists.

Once they determine that he has truly become your familiar, word will be sent to Mephistopheles, and he will alter the barrier so that Amaimon can come and go without being affected."

Amaimon knew that the barrier had already been altered for him a long time ago, as he went to True Cross often and had never had any problem getting in, but he figured that big brother was pretending so that the exorcists wouldn't get suspicious. If that was the case, then he'd play along; there was no need to get big brother in trouble.

Shiemi looked embarrassed and put the key back into her pocket. "I...I forgot about the barrier," she admitted. "Sorry, Yuki."

"No need to apologize," sort-of brother said. Amaimon tilted his head with interest when sort-of brother put a hand on Shiemi's shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "We should get going, but you might want to say goodbye to your mother first."

Shiemi nodded and turned to her mother. Though she tried to put on a brave face, Amaimon saw that there were tears in her eyes. "I'm going to school, mom," she said, her voice shaking. "I'll miss you."

Shiemi's mother got up and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'll miss you too, dear," she said softly. "I'm very proud of you."

The tears in Shiemi's eyes escaped and she buried her face in her mother's shoulder. "You'll remember to water the flowers, won't you?"

Shiemi's mother chuckled. "Of course, dear. I'll water them morning, noon, and night; don't you worry. Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself."

"I will," Shiemi said. She let go of her mother, wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her kimono, and gave her a feeble smile.

Suddenly, to Amaimon's surprise, Shiemi's mother turned towards him. "You'll keep her safe?"

Amaimon blinked, then he nodded. "I will."

Shiemi's mother smiled. "Shiemi's lucky to have a friend like you," she said, then she looked back at her daughter. "Goodbye, dear."

"Goodbye, mom."

Shiemi was crying again, and the tears were coming faster than she could mop them up with her sleeve. Amaimon didn't like that Shiemi was so distressed, but he didn't know what he could do to make it better. Yukio bowed to Shiemi's mother, then he walked over to the front door and took a long golden key out of his pocket. He put it into the lock and turned, then he opened the door and stepped through to the other side.

Shiemi wiped her eyes one last time, then she grabbed onto the duffle bag and struggled until she finally managed to pick it up. She hauled it along without too much difficulty as she followed sort-of brother, but, right before she went through the door, she turned and let go of the bag with one hand so that she could wave back at her mother. The moment she did that, she was thrown off-balance and almost dropped it. With a frightened squeak, Shiemi stopped waving and scrambled to grab onto the bag. She got it under control and recovered her balance, then she hurried through the open door to catch up with sort-of brother.

Amaimon, cradling the flowers in his arms, started after her. However, just before he stepped across the threshold, he paused and looked over his shoulder at Shiemi's mother. As far as Amaimon knew, he'd never had a mother of his own, but if he had, he thought that he would have wanted her to be like Shiemi's.

His heart bursting with an unexpected flood of strange emotions, Amaimon turned back to Shiemi's mother and gave her a low bow, then he straightened up and stepped through the doorway.


	15. Chapter 15

I've been writing casual fluff for so long that this chapter totally blew my mind.

Rejoice, you guys! Stuff actually happens! :D

Chapter Fifteen

The first thing Amaimon noticed when he arrived was the sunlight. In the garden, it had been dim, filtered through trees and leaves, but here, without the forest in the way, and it was harsh and bright.

Amaimon half-closed his eyes until he got used to it, then he looked around. He was with sort-of brother and Shiemi on the cobblestone road that led to the front gates of True Cross Academy. Beyond the twisting black iron of the gates, the massive school buildings stretched up into the clear sky.

"Right on time," sort-of brother said, checking his watch. "It looks like they're all here, so we shouldn't keep them waiting."

Amaimon shifted the flower pots out of the way so that he could see more clearly, and he noticed that there was a cluster of exorcists standing outside the gates. They were in full uniform, wearing their trademark long, black coats. Amaimon could make out the red-and-blue pins on their chests that marked them as Knights of the True Cross Order.

Shiemi took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. Amaimon glanced over at her, and he saw that she had her hands clenched into fists in her kimono to hide that they were shaking. "Let's go."

Together, they made their way towards the team of exorcists. When they got about ten feet away, sort-of brother gestured for them to stop. Alone, he stepped forward and addressed the exorcists.

"My name is Yukio Okumura, Middle First Class exorcist," he said, giving them a short bow. "I've been charged by Mephistopheles with escorting Shiemi Moriyama and her familiar, The Earth King Amaimon, to True Cross Academy for your examination."

One of the exorcists pushed their way to the front of the group. It was a woman. She wasn't wearing a coat like the others; instead, she was wearing very short shorts and a thin bikini top, which just barely covered her enormous breasts. Amaimon recognized her immediately: She was the exorcist with the serpent blade that he'd run into during his fight with younger brother.

"We know who you are, four-eyes," she drawled. "There's no need to be so stuffy."

At her words, Amaimon saw sort-of brother stiffen up, but he didn't argue. Instead, he glanced back at Amaimon.

"Amaimon," he said, "please come forward."

Amaimon didn't move. He looked over at Shiemi, waiting for her to tell him if he should obey or not. She hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. Since Shiemi wanted him to, Amaimon did as he was told. He walked past sort-of brother and stopped so that he was standing in front of the exorcists.

The woman didn't move, but many of the other exorcists stepped back, keeping their distance. As they assessed him, however, their wariness ebbed away and was replaced with confusion. Amaimon was willing to bet that they had not been expecting the infamous Earth King to be a scrawny teenager in pirate boots and mismatched clothes, carrying an armful of potted flowers that hid him almost completely from the waist up.

While the exorcists stood there silently and stared at him, Amaimon carefully set down the flowers, then he straightened up and waited patiently for them to start the examination. He wasn't surprised that the woman was the first to approach him. Once she did, the rest of the exorcists reluctantly followed. They gathered around him, giving him plenty of space; the woman, on the other hand, got so close that Amaimon could feel her breath. Her purple eyes bored into his, then she circled slowly around him. When she had finished her circling, she stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

"Okay, let's get started," she declared. She glanced at the other exorcists. "We need some of his blood."

Amaimon heard Shiemi gasp. "Please, Professor Kirigakure, don't hurt him!"

"Don't worry, Shiemi," Amaimon heard sort-of brother say. "I promise that Amaimon will be fine. They only need a few drops."

Amaimon wanted to turn to Shiemi and comfort her himself, but he was busy keeping an eye on one of the exorcists, who was slowly inching towards him. The man had a strange object in his hand, (it looked like a short tube with a thin metal point on the end), and he was sweating profusely. The hand holding the tube was shaking.

Amaimon didn't like this. He didn't like that thing in the exorcist's hand, and he didn't like that Shiemi had to see how frightened the man was; it might make her remember what a monster he really was, and then she would be scared of him, too.

And so, in a flash, Amaimon did the only thing he could think of to fix it: He lifted his clawed hand to his own arm and tore his claws through his skin.

Amaimon heard Shiemi cry out. He turned his head slightly, and saw out of the corner of his eye that she'd tried to run towards him, only to be stopped by sort-of brother.

The familiar burn of pain spread through Amaimon's arm as blood dripped from the gashes to the ground, but he could also feel his skin already itself knitting back together. As a demon, he healed from injuries such as these in seconds. By the time the blood on the cobblestones had formed a small puddle, the wounds were gone.

The exorcists couldn't have looked more shocked if he'd suddenly sprouted another head. There was a long silence, then the woman suddenly laughed.

"That's one way to do it," she said, grinning. The exorcist with the tube backed away, looking embarrassed. The woman glanced over at another exorcist and clapped him on the back. "Go ahead."

This exorcist, who was very young, cleared his throat and edged forward. Amaimon felt a chill when the man began to chant, but then he remembered that no exorcist alive knew his fatal verse. He had nothing to fear from words.

As the exorcist chanted, the blood on the ground began to ripple. Amaimon watched with interest as, slowly, his blood moved, trickling across the ground, drawing lines and symbols. Seconds later, it had painted out a complicated seal. Amaimon recognized the seal as his own; it was exactly the same as the one that he had given to Shiemi, down to the smallest detail.

There was a murmur of surprise among the exorcists. The man continued to chant, and the seal broke down. The blood squirmed in place for a moment, then it began to move again. It crept across the cobblestones towards Shiemi, who let out a cry and stumbled back against sort-of brother, clutching his arm. Her face was pale and filled with fear, and a furious rage boiled up inside of Amaimon.

Amaimon reacted before he could think. He lunged forward and grabbed the exorcist by the throat. The chanting stopped, choked off mid-word, and the blood went still. All the other exorcists shouted and drew their weapons, but Amaimon didn't spare them even a single glance.

"Enough."

It was the first time he'd spoken, and, though it was just one word, his voice was so cold and angry that a few of the exorcists began to tremble.

"No!" Shiemi let go of sort-of brother and darted forward, but she was blocked by a pair of exorcists. "Amaimon, stop it!"

The sound of Shiemi's voice shocked Amaimon back to his senses. He released his grip on the man's throat, and the man gasped in a breath and staggered backwards, his eyes wide with terror. Amaimon looked away and put his hands into his pockets. Again, Shiemi tried to run to him, and again, the exorcists stopped her. Sort-of brother came over and stood beside her, his face expressionless.

Slowly, the exorcists lowered their weapons. The woman stepped forward and crossed her arms.

"I think we've seen enough," she said. She turned to the exorcist that Amaimon had almost strangled. "Gregory, go tell Mephisto to alter the barrier."

Amaimon looked up at her in surprise. The other exorcists all gaped at the woman, but then they recovered and immediately began to object.

"You're letting that _thing_ into the school? After it attacked us?"

"A monster like that can't be allowed around the students!"

"Have you lost your mind?"

In response, the woman just shrugged carelessly. "The familiar was protecting its master," she said. She looked back at Gregory. "Go. Tell Mephisto."

Gregory, stunned with disbelief and still rubbing his bruised neck, reluctantly turned and stumbled off towards the school. In the meantime, the other exorcists moved away. Though they had given up arguing, they continued to mutter darkly as they dispersed.

"Familiar or not, I don't know what that Shura's thinking, letting such a high-level demon into True Cross," Amaimon heard one exorcist mutter.

"She's always been strange; maybe she's finally lost it," another exorcist replied.

"She must have," someone else said. Then, after a short pause, he cursed under his breath. "Dammit! I swear, my heart's still pounding. I never thought I'd meet one of the Princes of Hell up close."

There was a soft, humorless bark of laughter. "Prince of Hell, my ass," this exorcist scoffed. "He can't be so powerful if a little girl like that managed to put a collar on him."

Amaimon felt the insult snag on his pride like a poisoned barb, but he let it go. He turned towards Shiemi just in time to catch her in his arms as she hugged him desperately.

"Oh, I was so worried!" She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "I thought you were going to kill that man!"

Even though Amaimon hadn't had any intention of killing anyone, the knowledge that he'd made Shiemi worry sent a thick wave of guilt surging through him. "I wasn't going to kill him," he said.

Shiemi bit her lip and looked away uncertainly. Amaimon reached out and gently lifted her face, gazing directly into her eyes.

"I wasn't going to kill him," he repeated.

This time, Shiemi believed him. She smiled in relief.

"Then why did you attack a Knight of the True Cross Order?"

Amaimon looked over at the woman and sort-of brother, who were standing together not far away. The woman just seemed bored, but sort-of brother's blue eyes were hard and sharp, like chips of ice.

"He was scaring Shiemi," Amaimon replied simply. "I stopped him."

"Oo, bad idea." The woman tsked at him and shook her head. "You can't just go after an exorcist like that."

"Professor Kirigakure is right," sort-of brother said tightly. "A familiar that attacks an exorcist, especially a Knight of the True Cross order, could be arrested for it. Maybe even executed."

Amaimon wasn't impressed. Executed? He'd like to see them try!

Shiemi, however, looked horrified. "But Amaimon was protecting me! He can't be executed for doing that, can he?"

Sort-of brother shook his head. "It would have been all right if you had been in real danger of being harmed or killed by that exorcist, but it was just a harmless test. Amaimon should not have reacted so violently."

Amaimon didn't think that what he'd done had been violent, but when Shiemi didn't defend him, he knew that she agreed with sort-of brother. Amaimon frowned. Clearly, he'd misjudged the situation. Humans weren't as strong as demons, after all; maybe he _had_ been too rough with that exorcist.

"I am sorry."

The woman and sort-of brother both looked at him in surprise. Amaimon wasn't used to admitting that he'd done something wrong, especially not to a couple of exorcists, and he shifted awkwardly and glanced away.

"I forget that humans are...breakable." He kept his eyes fixed on a single cobblestone, wondering why he couldn't look at them. "It was...wrong of me to act as I did."

In response, the woman laughed loudly, and, though it wasn't a mean laugh, it still cut at his insides.

"Never thought I'd hear an apology from The Earth King," she chuckled. "Guess you were right, four-eyes: This guy really _has_ changed."

Sort-of brother adjusted his glasses, a flash of annoyance crossing his face at the nickname, but, just like before, he ignored her. "Yes, well, make sure you remember how 'breakable' we are in the future, Amaimon," he said. "If you want to stay with Shiemi, it's important that you follow the rules."

"Yeah!" The woman chipped in, flipping her long, red ponytail over her shoulder and wagging her finger at him. "And rule number one is that you're not allowed to hurt anyone!"

Amaimon looked up at her and nodded. He could do that. He'd have to be really, really careful, but he could do it. If it meant staying with Shiemi, he'd do anything.

Though his expression didn't change, his sincerity must have shown through somehow, because sort-of brother relaxed slightly. Amaimon turned towards Shiemi, anxious to see if she'd forgiven him, and his heart lifted when he saw that she was giving him a tentative smile.

"I'm glad you apologized," she said.

"I was wrong." It was easier to say the second time, but Amaimon suspected that was only because he was saying it to her.

Shiemi's smile widened, and she held out her hand to him. Amaimon automatically went to take it, then he stopped. For the first time, he noticed how delicate her hands were. How small and soft. He glanced at his own hands, which were rough and clawed. One of them still had blood smeared across the tips of its fingers from when he'd cut into his own arm.

Amaimon hesitated a moment longer, then he slowly reached out and took her hand. He couldn't change that he was a demon, but he _could_ change that he was a monster. Amaimon looked into Shiemi's eyes and gave her one of his goofy smiles, and she blushed and looked away. He wanted to make himself better. He wanted to be the kind of good that she deserved.

Suddenly, there was a loud crackling noise. All of them looked up towards True Cross. A massive, translucent purple barrier flickered into focus right outside the front gates. It surrounded the entire school like a giant bubble; even the tallest spire on the tallest building was safely contained inside its shimmering dome.

The barrier crackled again and glowed blindingly bright, then it vanished.

Amaimon was now officially welcome at True Cross Academy.


	16. Chapter 16

Super-short update. I just couldn't focus last week.

Chapter Sixteen

For a long time, the three of them just stood there, then sort-of brother adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

"Right," he said. "Let's go."

He took a step towards the front gate, but before he could go any further, Shiemi caught onto his arm and stopped him.

"Are you sure it's safe, Yuki?"

Sort-of brother nodded. "Mephisto's changed the barrier," he said. "Amaimon can enter the school grounds now; there's nothing to worry about."

Amaimon, who knew that he could have gone through the barrier anytime he wanted, wasn't worried. When sort-of brother started walking towards the front gate again, he followed him, and Shiemi, who'd hesitated, had to hurry to catch up.

They reached the gate, and sort-of brother reached out and turned the ornate metal handle. Slowly, the massive gate creaked open. Amaimon walked closer, but then, in spite of his confidence, he paused on the threshold. He'd never entered the school in the proper way before, and he was suddenly unsure. What if this was a trick? He knew that Shiemi would never betray him, but sort-of brother and the other exorcists might. It would be an easy way to get rid of him; to have him walk into a barrier this powerful and let it destroy him.

Amaimon reached out a clawed hand and brushed it tentatively through the air, just barely touching the surface of the barrier. He could feel it, sparking over his skin like electricity. It didn't feel any different than normal.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw that sort-of brother and Shiemi were both watching him. Amaimon drew back his hand and sighed. Even if it was a trap, he didn't have a choice. If he wanted to stay with Shiemi, he'd have to go through the barrier, so he may as well get it over with. Amaimon steeled himself and walked straight into the barrier. It stung at his skin, but there was no real damage. He made it to the other side in one piece.

Shiemi cried out happily. Even sort-of brother gave a small, dignified sigh of relief.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Shiemi exclaimed. She turned to sort-of brother and bowed deeply. "Yuki, thank you so much for your help!" Before sort-of brother could reply, she raced through the barrier to Amaimon and grabbed both of his clawed hands, beaming and looking up at him with shining eyes. "Amaimon, we really did it! You get to stay with me!"

Amaimon felt like his heart was filling up with her joy. Sort-of brother gave a short, pointed cough to get their attention.

"Even though Amaimon's allowed in True Cross, we're still not finished yet. He still needs to be approved by Mephistopheles."

That seemed to bring Shiemi back to reality. She let go of Amaimon's hands and blushed. "Yes! Of course!"

Before they could go, Amaimon and Shiemi had to walk back through the barrier to get Shiemi's things, which had been left outside the gate. While Shiemi again struggled with her duffle bag, Amaimon gathered up the potted plants, then they followed sort-of brother up the cobblestone road towards the looming school buildings.


	17. Chapter 17

In light of that super-short Chapter Sixteen, I've written a Chapter Seventeen that will probably be longer than any chapter for the remainder of the fic. A lot happens in this one, guys, and I'm not sure if I managed to pull it all off. If you have the time, I'd love to get your opinion/your thoughts on it.

Chapter Seventeen

Amaimon had only ever been to True Cross Academy at night, because nighttime was the only time older brother ever allowed him to visit. Without any humans around, Amaimon had been free to explore the silent, dark campus by moonlight, examining this "school" where young humans came to learn and where older brother lived. He'd never imagined it could be so different during the day, but seeing it now, it was like another place entirely: Crowded, full of students, ringing with the noise of laughter and of chattering voices, bright and gleaming in the sunlight.

As Amaimon followed sort-of brother and Shiemi down the road, he craned his neck to look around, trying to see everything at once. He hadn't seen this many humans in one place since he was only a few centuries old. Older brother had taken him to see a human war, and, as they'd watched, had explained to him that humans were violent, primitive creatures. "When enough humans get together," older brother had said. "They have to destroy each other."

But these humans didn't look violent or primitive, and they definitely didn't look like they were being compelled towards destruction. In fact, most of them seemed happy. Maybe older brother had exaggerated. Amaimon knew that he sometimes did that to prove points or to sound more important. It was an odd habit he'd picked up from humans a very long time ago, along with vanity and a fondness for luxuries.

Amaimon was a bit disappointed when they had to go into one of the buildings. He wanted to stay outside with the crowds and the noise; it seemed like so much more fun than going inside. But when they went into the building, he was amazed to find that there were humans inside, too! Amaimon stopped short, blinking in shock, then he remembered he was supposed to be following and he quickly caught up with sort-of brother and Shiemi.

"So? What do you think?

Amaimon almost didn't hear Shiemi's soft voice over the noise. He shifted the flowers aside and focused on her. Instantly, he saw that she was extremely nervous, keeping her head down and holding tightly to her kimono. He tilted his head.

"You don't like it."

Shiemi smiled weakly. "It...isn't so bad, really," she said. "It's a bit crowded, that's all. I just have to get used to it again." She glanced up at him hopefully, still smiling. "Do you like it?"

Amaimon nodded. He did like it; it was loud and fun and interesting. Shiemi looked relieved.

"Oh, I'm so glad! I was worried you might not like so much activity and noise, but I'm happy that I was wrong!"

Shiemi smiled one last time, then she looked back at the ground again. Amaimon knew that she was still nervous, but he didn't know how to help her. He had to remind himself that Shiemi was strong and capable; if she said she just needed time to get used to the crowds again, then he had to trust that she was knew best. With that in mind, he tried not to worry too much, and he went back to looking around. At last, after they climbed to the top of a long, winding staircase, sort-of brother stopped them at a door.

It was very impressive for a piece of wood, Amaimon thought. Huge and solid and polished so that it gleamed like dark honey. Simple in design, but elegant nonetheless. The handle was golden and curled around and around, like a tiny vine. Amaimon found himself wanting to touch the door, to see what it had been when it was alive. It was such a curious color.

Sort-of brother knocked briskly, and the sound echoed in the quiet hallway around them. Amaimon had been so focused on the door that he hadn't noticed that there were no students here. He could also sense a familiar power coming from inside the room. Amaimon figured that this must be older brother's office. He hadn't recognized it right away because had never used the door for his visits; only the window and, on one occasion, the wall.

"Come in~!"

Yes, that was definitely older brother's voice. Sort-of brother reached out and turned the golden doorknob. As the door opened, Amaimon wondered briefly if older brother would be angry. It seemed impossible that he wouldn't be, but older brother was hard to predict. If he _was_ angry, though, Amaimon knew that he would be punished.

Among demons, it wasn't unusual for those of higher rank to punish others less powerful than themselves for mistakes or disobedience. Amaimon had come to learn in his time on Assiah that humans found most kind of punishment, especially the kinds that demons favored, very cruel. To him, it was simply the way of things. He wasn't often punished; there weren't many demons more powerful than him, and most of the ones that were ignored him. Only older brother and father kept up with the practice. Years ago, Amaimon had quickly learned not to make mistakes or to disobey them, so as to avoid their wrath.

But there was no avoiding it now. Amaimon accepted his inevitable punishment philosophically just as the door finished opening. Older brother was sitting at the far end of the room behind his big, important desk in his big, important chair that Amaimon liked to spin around in. The chair wasn't spinning now, though, and older brother was looking unusually serious.

"Ah, Professor Okumura." Older brother's eyes narrowed. "Thank you for bringing Ms. Moriyama and her new familiar to me."

Sort-of brother gave a stiff bow. "Of course, sir."

Older brother's dark green eyes moved to Shiemi, who quickly stood up as straight as she could and tried to look calm. Amaimon peered through the flowers at his older brother. Yes, he was _very_ angry, Amaimon noticed, but not in any way that Shiemi or sort-of brother would see.

After a moment of silence, older brother grinned and chuckled. "Well," he drawled, "this certainly is interesting, isn't it? I hardly expected this much excitement on the first day of the semester!"

Shiemi blushed and started to speak, probably to apologize, but older brother held up a hand to stop her.

"No, no, it's quite all right," he assured her. "After the examination report from my team of exorcists, I must say that I have no problem allowing The Earth King to accompany you around the school as your familiar, provided that he abides by our rules. However, it will be up to the teachers to decide if he can attend their classes."

Shiemi smiled in relief and opened her mouth to speak again. Again, older brother stopped her with a gesture, then he grinned broadly at her and winked.

"But first, there are a few more little tests that I'd like to do myself before we let The Earth King loose in True Cross Academy." He sighed and shrugged dramatically, still grinning. "Unfortunately, these tests are are highly sensitive, so I'll need the two of you to wait in the hall until they're finished."

Amaimon involuntarily moved the potted flowers a bit so that they hid him from older brother's sight. It was comforting to be shielded behind their leaves, even though he knew that it wouldn't do him any good. He'd tried to hide in Amahara many times, and it had never worked. A few potted plants weren't going to protect him.

Shiemi was clearly alarmed at the idea of more tests, and more alarmed still that she wouldn't be allowed to stay with Amaimon during them. She looked over at sort-of brother, who noticed her distress and adjusted his glasses.

"Is that really necessary, sir?"

"Yes, Professor Okumura, I'm afraid it is." Older brother waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry. My tests will just take a couple of minutes and then you'll all be free to go."

Amaimon peeked through the flowers at Shiemi. She looked uncertain. Sort-of brother put a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Come on, Shiemi," he said. "We'll wait outside."

Shiemi hesitated. She glanced at Mephisto, then at Amaimon. Amaimon did his best to smile, and he gave her an encouraging nod. She should go. He didn't want her anywhere near older brother when he was so angry; it wasn't safe.

But Shiemi still wasn't sure. "E-excuse me, sir?" She was talking to older brother! Amaimon was impressed by her courage. "These tests...they aren't going to...to _hurt_ Amaimon, are they?"

Faster than human eyes could have seen, an ugly look crossed older brother's face, but then it was gone and he laughed. "Hurt him? Certainly not! I assure you, Ms. Moriyama, you'll get your familiar back in one piece!"

A lie? Maybe. Amaimon didn't move as Shiemi and sort-of brother left the office. The sound as the door clicked shut seemed deafening, and then Amaimon was alone with older brother.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Amaimon had the feeling that older brother was staring right at him, but he was still hiding behind the plants and couldn't say for sure. Then, at last, older brother spoke.

"Amaimon." His voice was sharp. Cold. _Enraged._ "What have you done?"

Slowly, very slowly, Amaimon moved the plants out of the way. He saw that older brother _was_ staring at him, and, though Amaimon made sure not to show any weakness, he could feel a shiver of fear in his heart.

Before he answered, Amaimon quickly crouched down to put the plants on the floor. This was mostly to buy some time, but he also did it because Shiemi loved those plants, and he didn't want them to get hurt; it would make her sad. When he'd finished, he straightened up again and calmly tried to think of an answer that older brother would accept, one that would get him out of being punished.

He didn't get the chance. He'd hardly begun to think when older brother blurred forward at him, and a hand crushed against his throat. Amaimon felt a burst of pain as he was pushed back against the wall with enough force to crack the bricks. He winced, then he recovered enough to open his eyes and blink at older brother. He didn't bother to struggle.

"It was that book...that cursed book!" Older brother was furious, and Amaimon could practically see his brilliant mind racing, sharpened by his rage, piecing everything together. "Amaimon! Tell me you didn't bring any other seals to Assiah!"

Amaimon felt the grip on his neck tighten. He could barely move to shake his head, but he managed it. To his dismay, older brother didn't loosen his grip. Amaimon was finding it difficult to remain conscious; even demons needed air.

"You've ruined everything!" older brother growled at him. He seemed more in control now, his temper soothed slightly by his relief at Amaimon's answer. "All my careful planning, torn down by your _stupidity!_"

Amaimon, though his head was aching and his vision was fading at the edges, nodded, trying to placate older brother enough to get him to let go. At last, older brother released him. Amaimon hadn't known he was being held off the ground, but he still managed to land on his feet, though he had to lean against the wall to stay upright. He gratefully gulped in a few quick lungfuls of air.

When Amaimon finally looked up, he saw that older brother had turned away and was pacing back and forth, his white cape trailing behind him. Amaimon knew better than to interrupt; instead, he worked on wiping the blood from his throat, where older brother's claws had cut him. Shiemi would worry if she saw blood.

Amaimon had just finished when older brother stopped pacing. He watched as older brother put a hand on his hip and stroked his goatee absently.

"You know, this hasn't really done any harm," older brother said, thinking out loud. "It doesn't change anything. In fact, it could even prove to be useful..."

Amaimon turned his head to the side. He figured that older brother was talking about one of his many plans. Amaimon still didn't know what they were; he'd asked before, but older brother had always refused to tell him.

"Once the seal circle of a demon king is activated, it bonds the demon to the exorcist's blood," older brother went on, still talking to himself. "It's old. Very old. But not unbreakable, I think."

The bond between him and Shiemi could be broken? Amaimon didn't like that thought at all, but he didn't dare say anything with older brother so worked up; it was never clear what would set him off when he was like this.

Suddenly, older brother's icy green eyes cut towards Amaimon and he held out his hand. "Give me the Infinity Key," he demanded.

Amaimon automatically reached into his pocket even as his heart sank. He'd promised to take Shiemi back to Amahara anytime she wanted, but he wasn't going to risk making older brother angry enough to kill him by refusing to return the Infinity Key.

So Amaimon, feeling very sad, handed over the key, dropping it into older brother's waiting palm. He'd just have to hope that Shiemi wouldn't ask about Amahara again until he could regain his brother's favor and get the key back. Older brother put the key into his own pocket without even looking at it.

"You're getting weak, Amaimon," older brother said matter-of-factly. He walked over and sat behind his desk, leaning back in the spinning chair. "You've always been careless, but letting that girl Tame you was a big mistake."

Amaimon spoke before he could stop himself. "We're friends," he said.

Older brother's eyes widened, then he howled with laughter. Amaimon wished he hadn't said anything. Inside, he cringed away from that vicious laughter, and he dug is claws into his palms so he wouldn't lose his temper.

Finally, older brother managed to stop laughing. He wiped tears of mirth from his eyes and shook his head. "Weak," he chuckled. "So _weak. _You've fallen so low that you'll be prey to every demon you meet. None will recognize you as King, and no longer will any demon respect you as a son of Satan. Is your precious _friendship_ really worth that trouble?"

Amaimon said nothing; older brother would never understand. Shiemi _was_ worth it. Even if he hadn't become her familiar or her friend, even if she had hated him and hunted him like the rest of the exorcists, she would have always be worth it. He could care less about demons coming after him; it wasn't like he hadn't fought his share of demons before, just for fun or because he was bored. For Shiemi, he would gladly fight all the demons in Gehenna.

At his silence, older brother smirked. "Fine," he said. "You're free to go to your _friend _and be her loyal pet. I'll call on you again when you're needed."

Amaimon could hardly believe his ears. Older brother was letting him go? Without punishment? Amaimon had expected a beating, or for older brother to destroy his beautiful garden, or both. Not wanting to stick around in case older brother changed his mind, Amaimon gave a short bow and headed towards the door, picking up Shiemi's potted plants on the way. Just as he put his hand on the doorknob, however, older brother called out to him.

"Oh, and Amaimon?"

Amaimon turned to look back. Older brother was gazing evenly at him, and his eyes were once again cold and devoid of amusement.

"You _will_ follow the rules of my school. If you don't, I'll punish you most severely. And if you kill anyone..."

Older brother left the threat unfinished, but Amaimon nodded in understanding. He'd heard this threat many times before.

"You'll kill me," he finished calmly. He waved a careless goodbye. "Don't worry, big brother. I'll be good."

Amaimon reached for the doorknob again. This time, older brother didn't say anything, and he managed to escape into the hallway. Shiemi and sort-of brother were waiting. When Shiemi saw him, she jumped to her feet.

"Did you pass?" she asked anxiously.

Amaimon started to answer, then he stopped and blinked. While he'd been in the office, Shiemi had changed into her school uniform. He'd seen her wearing it once before, in the forest when they'd first met, but he hadn't been paying too much attention to her clothes at the time. Now that he was looking, he realized that this uniform covered much less of Shiemi's body than her usual kimonos. He could see a surprising amount of her pale skin, and he found that very, very distracting.

"Amaimon?" Shiemi looked worried. "Are you all right?"

Amaimon stopped staring at her distracting uniform and met her eyes. "Yes," he said. "I passed the tests."

Shiemi beamed. "That's wonderful!" she said. She turned and picked up her duffle bag with effort. "Come on! Let's take this stuff to my room, and then I'll show you around!"

"Okay."

Shiemi looked over at sort-of brother. "Do you want to come along, Yuki?"

Sort-of brother shook his head. "No, thank you. I have a meeting with the other teachers soon that I must attend, and I should go and make sure Rin isn't getting into any trouble."

"All right." Shiemi seemed a bit disappointed, but then she recovered and smiled brightly. "Thanks again for all your help! Amaimon and I couldn't have done it without you!"

Amaimon nodded in agreement: he knew it was true. It was only because of sort-of brother that he had been allowed into True Cross, and that he was able to stay with Shiemi. Even if Amaimon hadn't felt Shiemi's elbow dig into his ribcage, Amaimon would have thanked him.

"Thank you, Yuki," he said, giving a short bow.

Sort-of brother and Shiemi both stared at him. Both of them looked distinctly ruffled and caught off-guard, but Amaimon wasn't sure why. For a moment, he thought that sort-of brother was going to say something. In the end, however, sort-of brother just gave him a quick nod, adjusted his glasses, then, still looking very uncomfortable, swept off down the staircase.

"Um...Amaimon?" Shiemi said, still looking a bit stunned. "Why did you just call Yukio 'Yuki'?"

Amaimon looked over at her. "Is that wrong?"

Shiemi quickly blushed. "No! Of course not! It's just...it's kind of a...a cutesy thing to call him, isn't it?"

That seemed like a strange complaint. Most humans were fond of cute things, according to older brother, so why would that be a problem? Amaimon turned his head to the side. "That's what you call him."

"W-well, yes," Shiemi admitted. "But it's from when we were kids. And besides, he's like an older brother to me, so–"

"Yuki is my younger brother." Amaimon interrupted. Sort of.

Shiemi paused, looking surprised. "Oh! I...I never thought about it like that. I guess he is, isn't he?"

"Yes." Amaimon nodded. "And I like him better than other younger brother."

"Huh? Do you mean Rin?" Shiemi shook her head before he could reply. "You have so many brothers; it'd be easier if you would call them by their names."

Would it? Amaimon considered that for a moment. He _did_ have a lot of brothers, but he'd always known which one he was talking about so it had never mattered to him if he just called each of them older brother or younger brother. Now that he was with Shiemi, though, he could see how it might be confusing for her.

"Yes," he replied. "Rin."

Shiemi sighed in defeat. "Okay, I understand. Though I still think it would be much better if you two could be friends," she said, but then she left it at that and smiled at him. "Are you ready to go?"

Amaimon nodded. He was eager to see more of the school when all of the humans were there, and he still wanted to get Shiemi very far away from older bro–_Mephisto._ He waited patiently while Shiemi struggled to adjust her grip on the duffle bag, then they headed down the staircase and began making their way towards the dorm rooms.


	18. Chapter 18

Update!

Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it? I want all of you to know that I haven't forgotten about this story, and I fully intend to finish it.

Chapter Eighteen

Shiemi's dorm was on the other side of campus, so it took her and Amaimon a while to get there. The closer they got to the dorm, the more nervous Shiemi became. By the time they actually got there, she was trembling like a leaf.

"Are you all right?" Amaimon asked.

Shiemi looked over and gave him a weak smile. "I'm really scared," she admitted. "I've never lived away from home before. I keep thinking: 'What if I get homesick? What if I don't like it here?' but I know that if I want to do my best in cram school, I have to live in a dorm like the other students. It's just...well, to be honest, I...I don't know if I can handle it."

Amaimon tilted his head to the side, confused. He'd been more than happy to get away from his own home in Gehenna, so he didn't understand Shiemi's uncertainty or why she was so afraid. He did, however, understand that this was very important to her, which made it important to him, too.

But Amaimon, try as he might, couldn't think of anything to say that might make Shiemi feel better. Instead, in an attempt to be comforting, he leaned gently against her. It was as close to a hug as he could manage with the flowers in his arms, but it seemed to help. Shiemi smiled and, since she was also unable to hug because of the duffle bag she was carrying, she just leaned back, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"For what?"

"For reminding me that I won't be alone." Shiemi leaned against him for another moment, then she stood up straight, looking suddenly determined. "Okay!" she said. "Let's go!"

Amaimon nodded, and, together, they walked into the building. Shiemi's dorm room was on the fourth floor, so they found the stairs and slowly began to climb. Amaimon wasn't having any trouble, but Shiemi was struggling with the duffle bag. At the third floor, she had to stop. She put the duffle bag on the floor and hunched forward, trying to catch her breath. Amaimon looked at her in concern.

"I could carry that for you," he pointed out. It would be difficult with his arms full, but he thought he could probably manage it.

Shiemi shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine in a moment," she assured him, still gasping. "You go on ahead with the flowers; I'll catch up."

Amaimon nodded and did as she asked. He climbed the last set of stairs to the fourth floor and started down the hallway. Shiemi's room was number 473. As he got closer to the room, he began to hear voices.

"Aw, come on, lighten up! You still won't give me your phone number after all this time?"

"No way! Now get lost and stop following me!"

Amaimon could hear the voices coming towards him, and when two people came around the corner at the end of the hallway, he peered curiously at them through the flowers. One was a scowling girl with long, dark hair and tiny eyebrows. The other was a smiling boy with spiky hair that he'd dyed a bright, eye-catching pink. The girl stalked quickly down the hall with the boy trailing hopelessly along behind her.

"Come on, Izumo! Just one date? I'll even pick up the bill!"

"No! And for the last time, Shima: Get lost! This is a girls' floor!"

Amaimon realized that he was staring, so he hid behind the flowers again. He listened as the two continued to bicker, the sound getting closer and closer until, finally, they passed him.

But a moment later, he heard the girl fall quiet and stop suddenly. Amaimon kept walking, but he knew that she was staring at him. Did this girl know he was a demon? Could she be an exorcist? Doubtful. She was pretty young, so she was probably just a student at the cram school, like Shiemi.

In any case, Amaimon continued to act like he didn't notice anything unusual, but he stayed alert. The boy, who obviously hadn't noticed anything wrong, was still babbling, but then the girl interrupted him.

"Shima," she said in a low voice. "That guy over there...is that Amaimon?"

The boy said nothing for a moment, and Amaimon could feel both of them staring at him, but then the boy suddenly laughed. "Amaimon? The Earth King? Definitely not. I mean, how could it be, right? No, there's no way Amaimon could be here at True Cross!" The boy paused, then, after a moment, he said very quietly: "Yeah, it's totally him."

Amaimon heard the girl swear under her breath, and then he heard two sets of footsteps start running down the hallway towards him. Amaimon was surprised. Taking on a demon prince by themselves? These kids were either very brave, or very foolish.

But Amaimon had no intention of getting into a fight. For one, he didn't want Mephisto to kill him. For another, he knew that Shiemi would be really upset if he slaughtered two of her classmates before they'd been at True Cross more than a few hours.

So Amaimon turned around and faced the two kids that were racing towards him, just in time to dodge as the boy brought a heavy golden staff swinging down at him.

Where had that weapon come from? Amaimon took a few quick steps back, then, when the boy tried again to hit him, he kicked the staff out of his hands. The weapon clattered to the ground, too far away for the boy to retrieve. The boy's eyes widened, and just he stood there, frozen and weaponless, in front of Amaimon. Amaimon itched to sink his claws into the boy, his instincts flaring up at the smell of the boy's fear, but he managed to stay in control. Shiemi would be mad, he reminded himself.

Amaimon looked past the boy, and he saw that the girl had taken two pieces of paper from the front of her vest. Tamer circles? No demon that could be summoned by such a low-level Tamer was a match for him, but Amaimon wasn't about to waste his time on weaklings. He leapt over the boy and then raced down the hall as the girl began to chant.

"I humbly call upon the Gods of Harvest," the girl recited. "Follow my wishes, leave none unfulfilled!"

Two white foxes appeared. Amaimon recognized them as Byakko: demons that served shrine maidens. They were stronger familiars than he'd expected from someone so inexperienced, but they were also cowards. The moment they recognized Amaimon, they panicked. The girl tried to command them to fight, but they wouldn't obey. At last, she got so flustered that they turned on her, and she was forced to rip the circles.

Amaimon grinned in amusement. A fight like this would normally have been disappointing, but these two were messing up so badly that it was actually fun. Amaimon wondered if he should do this more often. Hold back from the kill, and just play with his enemies instead. Let them fumble and fight and fail, and then let them live. He could wait until they got stronger, and then they could fight them again.

As Amaimon considered that idea, he ducked, letting the golden staff sweep over his head, barely brushing the tops of the flowers he was still carrying. Clearly, the boy had gotten his weapon back, but Amaimon didn't intend to let him keep it. Amaimon knocked the boy's legs out from under him, and the boy crashed to the ground, dropping the staff.

Once again, Amaimon started to run down the hall. The girl's eyes widened as he raced towards her, but there was nothing she could do. Through the flowers, he saw her raise her fists, and Amaimon let out a wild laugh. Such bravery! He decided that he quite liked this girl. And the boy, too. He'd like to play with them again sometime, though they'd have to get some better weapons.

Amaimon saw the girl begin to trembling as he got closer, but she stood her ground. Amaimon got so close that he could see himself reflected in her eyes, then he sprang into the air, jumping over her, and kept running. The girl gaped in stunned silence for a moment, then, to Amaimon's delight, gave chase. He heard the boy join her, and he let out another laugh. These two were so much fun!

"Shima, quick! We can't let him get out!"

"I know! The whole school would be in danger! But how are we supposed to stop him?"

Amaimon knew why they were worried, but he wasn't trying to escape; he was trying to get back to Shiemi. Even though he hadn't hurt them, the boy and girl would never believe a word he said, and if they kept fighting, sooner or later, one of them would get hurt, and then Mephisto would be angry. Hopefully, Shiemi would be able to explain the situation before that happened.

As if in response to his thoughts, Shiemi came through the door, lugging her duffle bag. She stopped and her eyes widened at the sight of Amaimon running towards her, being chased by two of her classmates. She recovered a moment later and dropped the duffle.

"Miss Kamiki! Mr. Shima! Please, stop!"

Amaimon heard the footsteps behind him go quiet. When he reached Shiemi, he turned and looked back. The girl and boy had indeed stopped, and they looked genuinely terrified as they stared at him and Shiemi. Amaimon realized that they were frightened for her, and he liked them even more.

"Shiemi, run!" the girl cried. "That guy's The Earth King!"

Shiemi smiled. "It's okay, Miss Kamiki," she said. "He's my friend."

The girl looked shocked. The boy's mouth fell open and he almost dropped his staff again.

"That's not a good joke, Shiemi!" the boy said. "Amaimon's seriously dangerous!"

"I'm not joking!" Shiemi insisted. "Amaimon _is_ my friend, and he's here with me for cram school. I know it sounds weird, but Yuki...I mean, Professor Okumura and Miss Shima and Mr. Mephisto all know about it. They said it was all right."

The girl looked uncertain. "They...they did?"

"Yes!" Shiemi nodded enthusiastically. "Professor Okumura even brought us here!"

The boy and girl exchanged a glance. "It's not that we don't believe you, Shiemi," the boy said apologetically. "It's just that...it's _Amaimon._"

"Won't you at least give him a chance?" Shiemi gave them her most pleading look, the one that Amaimon suspected no one could refuse. Still, he thought he should try his best to look harmless, to help convince them. Amaimon felt that he accomplished it rather well, though he knew the ridiculous amount of flowers in his arms had probably helped.

Sure enough, a moment later the girl stopped looking afraid and started scowled again, which Amaimon suspected was normal for her, based on the fact that she had been scowling the first time he'd seen her.

"Yeah, whatever," she said contemptuously. "What's one more demon around here, anyway?"

Following her lead, the boy relaxed as well. He lowered the staff and sighed in frustration. "Shit..." he muttered, then he shrugged in defeat. "Well, if the teachers all say it's fine, then I guess I don't have a problem with it. Bon's gonna be pissed, though. And Koneko...well, that guy _still_ hasn't gotten used to Rin, so I'm sure he'll be pretty freaked out having Amaimon around. Especially since Amaimon broke his arm during our camping trip and all."

Had he? Amaimon thought back, and he only vaguely remembered anything about the students other than Shiemi, and nothing about hurting them. He'd been too focused on Rin to pay much attention to anyone else, and breaking someone's arm wasn't exactly a new experience. Besides, it was just an arm.

But Shiemi looked distressed. "Oh, I forgot about that!"

The boy shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Shiemi," he said. "Koneko's arm got better a long time ago. Besides, even if he has his reasons, he's still a bit of a scaredy cat, and that's something he'll have to learn to deal with if he wants to be an exorcist. And I wouldn't worry about Bon: he's a pretty reasonable guy. If Amaimon really is on our side now, Bon'll come around eventually."

That seemed to help, but Amaimon could tell that Shiemi was still unsure. He watched as she quickly hid her doubts behind a bright smile and picked up her duffle bag.

"Gosh, it's so good to see you two again!" she exclaimed. "Do you live on this floor, too, Miss Kamiki?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah, I'm in that room right there," she said, pointing.

Shiemi's eyes widened. "That's my room, too!"

"We're roommates?" The girl looked taken aback, but then she rolled her eyes. "I guess it could be worse."

Amaimon glanced at Shiemi to find that she was positively beaming, and he realized that this girl must be one of her close friends. In that case, he figured he should try to remember her name. He'd heard it before, and after a moment, it came to him: Izumo. Izumo Kamiki. For good measure, Amaimon also decided to remember that the boy was called "Shima."

"Mr. Shima, are you in this dorm?"

Shima sighed. "Sadly, no. Bon, Koneko, and I live elsewhere. Our dorm's near the cafeteria, but I'd rather be closer to you lovely ladies."

"Oh, shut up," Izumo snapped, though her cheeks turned red. "Don't you have anyone else to annoy?"

"Only you, dear Izumo."

Izumo humphed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'm going to get my school books," she announced, and she walked away. Shima grinned and hurried after her.

"See you later, Shiemi!" he called over his shoulder, waving.

"Goodbye, Mr. Shima!" Shiemi said happily. "Goodbye, Miss Kamiki!"

Izumo and Shima quickly disappeared into the stairwell, and Amaimon followed Shiemi to her dorm room. Shiemi unlocked the door, and then opened it and looked inside. Amaimon, curious, shifted the flowers so he could see. The room was surprisingly large, and it had two beds, two desks, and a large window that looked out on the courtyard below. One of the beds had luggage and clothes piled on top of it. Amaimon guessed that meant it was Izumo's.

"It's...pretty cute, isn't it?" Shiemi said at last, seeming relieved. "I thought it was going to be like Rin and Yuki's dorm, but that was silly of me, since their dorm is so much older than this one."

"It's nice," Amaimon agreed. And it was. It was clean, and cozy, and the courtyard outside was full of trees and flowers.

Shiemi dragged her duffle bag over to the empty bed and dropped it on the floor, then she helped Amaimon put the flowers on her desk, which was right next to the window. The flowers, which had been quiet since they'd left the garden, slowly perked up and began talking cheerfully to each other as they drank in the sunlight. Amaimon knew that Shiemi couldn't hear them, so he was surprised when she suddenly smiled. It was as if she could sense their happiness.

"I think I'm going to like it here," she said.


End file.
